


Nocturnal

by Adargo



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Izaya tries being the good guy for once, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post Series/Novel, Slow Build, Symbolism, personality changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-09 00:09:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 124,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5518187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adargo/pseuds/Adargo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One and a half years after his greatest downfall, Izaya stares into the city he once dearly loved with a new purpose burning in his eyes.</p><p>With threats looming across the horizon and new as well as old demons roaming the streets, the raven spreads his wings once more to face his challenges.</p><p>Whether it’s for better or for worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Only On The Brink, Can We See So Clearly

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> In case you are not up to date with the novels (up to volume 13) or haven't seen the anime, know that there might be spoilers. 
> 
> This work consists of two parts:
> 
> Part I: Search for the Sun (chapter 1-9)  
> Part II: The Wolf, The Raven and The Snake (chapter 10-24)
> 
> If you notice any mistakes or want to give feedback in general, it is very much appreciated.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

Part I: Search for the Sun

 

 

 

 

Footprints were scattered over the black marbled floor, tracing a path to the giant glass windows that hardly left any space for walls.

Fire-filled eyes stared out into the night and skimmed over the familiar network of streets, buildings and moving organisms.

 

On the outside, Orihara Izaya looked more or less the same as a year and a half ago.

  
But on the inside, he was a changed man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 days after the incident, he had a visitor he wasn’t expecting to see so soon.

  
Or perhaps, wasn’t expecting to see ever again.

 

“Are you satisfied now?” His guest spoke.  
Even with his eyesight so out of focus, he immediately recognized the figure dressed in a plain lab coat.

Izaya stared up at the one he called his friend. His only friend, staring right back at him with a sincerity in his eyes that felt rather foreign.

Yes, It was definitely strange seeing Shinra this serious.

After all, he always had this happy act going on, an insatiable cheerfulness masking whatever he was really thinking or feeling.  
Even around someone as cold and vile as Izaya himself.

And now the underground doctor, the same one who had practically begged him to become his friend in high school, who had stitched him up countless times, who had warned him time and time again of the dangerous games he was playing, was now standing there, with a look on his face that screamed anger and sadness at the same time.

“Not particularly, no.” Izaya rasped out in response.  
Even in his current state, he couldn’t refrain from smirking widely at Shinra.

“After all, Shizu-chan is still breathing and so am I.” he continued as he received narrowing eyes in response.

They stared at each other in strained silence, Izaya never letting down the stretch on his lips nor the mischievous glint in his eyes.  
Shinra pointed his to the floor instead.

“I can’t believe you…” he started softly.

Shinra then regained his composure, staring back into those irises that bled the same colour as the specks of blood on the white hospital sheets.

“Just look at yourself! I’ve never seen you this pathetic before!” Shinra suddenly yelled defiantly, and Izaya stared back at him, surprised for once.

 

Never before had he witnessed his friend behaving like this and even though he absolutely _hated_ being yelled at, he couldn't help but stare in fascination.

 

“Shizuo nearly killed you, Izaya! Why did you have to go and do something so stupid again? Did you want get yourself killed for real this time!?” Shinra continued harshly as he stepped closer to the battered form on the bed.

‘Izaya?’

Shinra never called him by his first name.

He also had this painful look in his eyes now, like he was on the verge of either crying or yelling some more.

 

“Shinra…” The name fell softly from his own mouth before the other's voice hit him like an earthquake again.

“No! Don’t say anything!” came the harsh command “Just shut up for once.”

And so, to his own surprise, Izaya did.

 

More silence stretched on and he was now sure he saw tears collect in the corners of Shinra’s eyes. The sight left him amazed.  
It should’ve been interesting, it should have fascinated him, and it did.

But other feelings ran deeper and stronger within him and though he didn’t know what to call them.

They  _hurt _.__

 

“Look, Izaya, I…” Shinra suddenly mumbled, quickly adjusting his glasses in an attempt to regain his composure again.

“Just, don’t come back alright?”

 

Izaya could only stare in miscomprehension at those and the following words that spilled from the doctor’s mouth.

 

“All the things you’ve done…I’m not saying I’m innocent either but, Izaya… you... I can’t just ignore it all anymore.” Shinra shook his head to the tiles beneath him.  
“So I’m telling you this, out of respect for our old friendship. Don’t come back, for everyone’s sake”.

 

Izaya then let out a little laugh, which caught the other off guard as he whipped his head up and his eyes widened at him in surprise.  
Surprise as to how Izaya could still laugh in a situation like this.

 

“So, this is about Celty is it? She that mad at me?” Izaya chirped.  
Shinra’s eyes narrowed viciously at him again.

“Celty?!” He began, anger seeping back into his fragile voice.

“You think it’s just Celty that’s mad at you?! Izaya, you used everyone as a freaking pawn, as play toys! You tricked and criminalized Shizuo for years for no good reason! Half of Ikebukuro thinks that you’re dead! Do you seriously not care at all?!”

 

Red eyes were just staring blankly at Shinra now. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling or what he was _supposed_ to feel as the underground doctor screamed his heart out to him.  
Shinra was giving him this look again that he’d never seen before, and he had a hard time following everything he was saying.

 

“Don’t you feel anything at all!?” Shinra came again, his voice almost breaking, eyes begging for some sort of answer he probably didn’t even know if Izaya had for him.

 

More silence stretched on as gravity pulled down on Izaya's lips, Shinra's words penetrating through his skull like a needle.

But crimson merely stared forwards, not exactly comprehending what was going on anymore nor wanting too.

 

Giving up on receiving a response, Shinra lowered his sorrowful eyes to the floor again.

 

“I was a fool for coming here” He whispered hoarsely.

“I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for, wherever you’re going…” He added, adjusting his glasses again and straightening himself up, refusing to look at Izaya anymore.

 

He was nearly out the door when he carefully spoke his last words to him that day.

 

“Goodbye, Izaya”.

 

And then he was gone.

 

It had been the second time the word ‘Goodbye’ had been said to him in that manner.

 

The first time it had been through his phone, and he had received it like it was a death sentence.

And now, the second time, it was spoken like a simple farewell.

 

Izaya later realized that the pain he felt in his chest wasn’t because of his bruised ribs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks later, he was stable enough to leave the hospital and he hadn’t wasted any time in disappearing from the map once again.

He eventually healed up further, his body recuperating closer to what it once used to be, at whatever slow pace that was. It was a lot more difficult than he expected, honestly.

Being bedridden for so long had taken its toll, and he soon found himself succumbing to the typical human weaknesses that were now his own.

 

So Izaya sulked, let himself be dragged down to the depths of his own subconscious he hadn’t visited in a very long time.

Shinra’s words had stirred something within him. He was still figuring out what exactly that something was, but he was more interested in the fact that those simple words had an effect on him in the first place.

Because that was not how it was supposed to go.  
That wasn’t what he had worked towards, for all those years…

  
But giving up hadn’t been on the list of acceptable things either, yet that’s exactly what he had done that night...

 

“Izaya, we’re back!”

The loud greeting pulled him from his thoughts. As he turned his head, he saw Kine and Manami entering the living room of the small farmhouse, carrying some bags filled with groceries.

He greeted them with a small wave.

“How are you feeling? Did you take your meds already?” Manami asked, nearing him while Kine put everything away in the kitchen.

“Not too bad I suppose, and yes of course I did.” Izaya stated, his lips turning slightly upward at the cheerfulness that the girl brought with her.

 

When these two had rescued him from his sure demise, he'd asked them but one thing: To take him as far away from Ikebukuro as possible, even if it resulted in his death.

Afterwards, when he woke up in a hospital still too close to his old home to his liking, Kine had simply lectured him with a “Just shut up and rest, you’re in no position to argue, you know.”

He didn’t understand why they had even listened to him or what he had done to deserve this concern. Especially Manami’s, since he had only given her reasons to do the exact opposite.  
Of course, without Celty and Simon, he would be just as dead right now.

The thought of them made him frown, as they reminded him of Shinra again. He hadn’t heard from him or anyone else for that matter since his last visit in the hospital.  
Of course, back then he was still in Japan.

 

“Man, I swear I’ll never learn Russian, how do you guys even make sense of it all?” Manami sighed, Kine chuckled in response and then mumbled something which only Izaya could understand, making him chuckle as well.

“Hey, no fair!” She reacted, hitting Kine on the head rather harshly with her backpack.  
They proceeded to bicker after that, almost like a married couple, Izaya thought to himself.

 

Kine was the one who proposed to go to Russia, seeing as he, as well as Izaya, still had connections there.

Izaya would be able to heal at his own pace.

Manami sticked with them for the vague reasons of “I have nothing better to do.” and “Seeing Izaya suffer is the reason for me still existing.”

Izaya didn’t really care about anything they said to him back then, he was way to lost in his own emotional turmoil, which didn’t help his rehabilitation at all.

Surprisingly, Manami was the one who had opposed to his sulking behaviour the most.

“ _Are you seriously going to act this pathetic now?_ ” she had said, brows furrowed at him.

Izaya didn’t know why she bothered. He was a miserable mess and that should’ve been just what she wanted.

At least, that was what she had claimed.

In the end, it turned out to be completely different. She made him take his medication, do his exercises, helped him in compromising situations, and the list goes on.

' _Just because I’m cruel doesn’t mean you can be too. _'__ He used to think then.

 

“Did you sleep well?” said girl’s question brought him back to the present again. Apparently she was already bored of smacking Kine around.

“More or less.” Izaya replied with a hum.

 

It’s not that he had trouble falling asleep anymore, since his physical pain had lessened greatly already, but sometimes he would still have nightmares.

 

Vivid nightmares of past enemies trying to kill him, to keep it short.

 

Kine wanted to get him sleeping pills, but he had refused.

He wanted to figure out by himself just why he was reacting so strongly to all the past events, without the interference of foreign chemicals.

 

True, his fight with Shizuo was the toughest he’d ever been in, but it’s not like he hadn’t been injured before, nor was it the first time he had stood on the border between life and death.

So why did he keep dreaming about that one night?

It was as if his brain was taunting him, time and time again. Even through the day, he would replay the entire scene in his head.

The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that he was just being incredibly stubborn.  
Childish even, however painful that was to admit.

 

He just wasn't able to accept that he, Orihara Izaya, had lost to the one he had always labelled as a monster, Heiwajima Shizuo.

 

He's not stupid, he knows Shizuo _is_ in fact, human. He just has some biological tweaks that gave him the possibility to become stronger than the average human body could ever hope to be.  
That’s all there is to it. In the simplistic sense anyway.

 

Nevertheless, Shizuo’s ridiculous strength scared the average human being to the point of losing all rational thinking.

 

But when Izaya first laid eyes on him, he wasn’t scared at all. He was impressed. Fascinated, as he always was when he stumbled upon something unknown.

And yet, with just one look at his face, Shizuo decided that he didn’t like him.

It had ticked him off more than he let show, and masked it with false amusement, that turned out honest as soon as the false blond came stampeding at him with a pulled fist.

 

So just like that, the never-ending chain of rivalry and hatred was born between them, simply because Shizuo hadn’t given him even _one_  chance at a good start.

 

It had been frustrating, to be rejected like that, for no good reason at all.

So Izaya decided to frustrate Shizuo just as much in return.

 

And he’d say he succeeded, looking back at all the things he did to him, making Shizuo a true ‘monster’ in the eyes of many.

But even so, while Izaya’s philosophy was loving humans, none ever loved him back and Shizuo, despite his monstrous strength and alarmingly short fuse, would still attract so many people around him.

He just couldn’t understand that.

He _really_ couldn't.

 

And so, besides his ever growing hatred and frustration, another feeling was born.

But only now did he realize that said feeling was envy.

Envy of what Shizuo had.

Ridiculous, really.

 

He'd lingered in his stage of denial a little while longer, until he'd finally given up.

He had accepted it then.

His loss, his feelings...

 

And just like that, his dreams visited that awful place and time a lot less.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More months passed by, and everyone proceeded with their daily routine.

For Kine, that mostly consisted of doing some jobs for his local business partners. Being a detective suited him, Izaya thought, although his looks could easily make him pass as a hitman instead.

For Manami, it was either helping out Izaya with further rehabilitation or helping out the neighbouring farms with chores.  
She also liked to go to the city gym to stay in shape and, as Kine would say, secretly gawk at the bulky hunks there. Needless to say, this ended in Kine getting slapped again.

Her Russian had improved extensively as well and she often conversed in it with them, showing just how proud she was about her progression. Not that Izaya wasn’t proud of her as well, but in fear of head trauma he decided against correcting her awful use of tenses.

 

Through the course of time, Izaya felt himself growing stronger and stronger, however slow the process was.

Right now, however, he was alone and he soon found himself thinking about his past again.

 

Sighing, Izaya made his way to the battered instrument standing in the corner of the room. He lowered himself steadily on the cushioned seat and roamed his fingers over the cold and crooked keys.

No-one knew how old the piano was and Kine was actually surprised about it being there. The previous owner must've not cared much about leaving it behind.  
Izaya could see why, once he took in its state with his own eyes.

The first time he played a chord on it, it sounded so false that even Kine and Manami cringed from the other side of the room.

“Holy shit, please tell me you just suck at playing that thing.” Kine had responded. Izaya had just given him rueful smile.  
“I’m afraid that was actually a clean C, or well…it was supposed to be.”

It took them a while to tune the damn thing, but it had been worth it, as Izaya played it nearly every day.

Seeing as his arms and nerves were still battered up, it wasn’t easy at the start, but the pain wasn't enough to keep him from playing to his heart’s content. He still knew many pieces by heart, some from when he was little, some from the music classes in Raira High.

Shinra, for one, really enjoyed listening to him play there, it was funny really, to think that the silly doctor found something besides his one true love interesting. Well, if you didn’t count dissecting people into the equation.

He mostly played to soothe his mind, but he found himself thinking about his old self more often than not.  
The blank depths of his own mind now gone, and as things became clearer, he felt himself becoming consumed by his own emotions.

For once, he was actually analysing himself instead of others.

But that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

 

Time kept shifting by, seasons passed and little by little Izaya felt like he never really knew himself at all.

 

 

Sometimes, he even thinks that maybe it would've been better if he had just died that night after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly one year after the incident, Izaya faced himself in the bedroom mirror again.

Remembering the first time he assessed himself like that, with ruby eyes flowing up and down his own skin, he hadn't been able to suppress a grimace.

But the black and purple had been gone for a while now and the only visible traces of his fight could be seen in the form of scars.

Some big, some small, some from the wounds themselves, some from the countless surgeries his arms had to go through.

At least they were functional again, even though they still hurt with certain movements, it was nothing he couldn't handle.  
It was simply the price he had to pay for his own foolish actions.

So this was fine.  
Just fine.

 

He wobbled lazily into the living room, and put himself behind the piano again.  
Since his ‘guardians’ were out, he had plenty of time on his hands.

Time to think of what he would do next.

As he played songs laced with melancholy, he found himself thinking about his old home back in Shinjuku.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his own apartment, now sitting there vacantly and probably covered with dust. The image both disgusted and saddened him at the same time.

 

He thought about the streets he wandered through back then.

  
He thought about the park where he’d come across some punks talking about how they would certainly be invited into the Dollars anytime now.

  
He thought about the never-resting tramlines and stations.

  
He thought about the Russia Sushi and the fatty tuna he hadn’t eaten in so long.

  
He thought about the people he knew there.

  
The people he once knew so very well…

 

It might’ve been his job as an informant to collect so much information on certain people, but it was _so_ much more than that.  
It had been his philosophy.

Nothing made him feel more alive than to figure out what the human mind was capable of, what made the cogs turn, leading to the countlessly different actions they decided to undertake.

The fact that he was so enamoured by humanity might have been the reason why he was so good at what he did in the first place.

 

But what exactly was he right now?

 

Yes, he knew so many things about humans.

Knew exactly what could rile them up, what would make them sad, what would make them do things as he wanted them too, how to use them as tools for his own selfish pleasures.

But what did he know about _himself ?_

He knew who Orihara Izaya was before the incident.

But who was he right now?  
And what did he want to achieve? 

Going back and working as an informant again in the same setting was going to be difficult, not only would he have to explain his long term absence to the Awakusu-kai, he would also need to be able to face those he left behind there.

 

Various faces came before his eyes while his fingers focused on the black and white beneath them.

 

He lingered a bit on the image of his sisters, gaze softening. He had arranged for them nothing but an anonymous note that read ‘I’m sorry’ and a large sum of money on their bank account, just so they’d be okay on their own for a good while.

He knew he was being unfair to them, disappearing like that, much like their own parents did, but he believed that it was better that way. He knew that together, they would be strong enough to survive.

Next came his old friend, whom had sternly told him not to come back.  
Izaya didn’t exactly know for what reasons, but he figured it had to do with Celty and the chaos that had surrounded both Ikebukuro and their own existence that night.

Then there was Namie, sneaky as she was. She had been a valuable assistant for a long time, more often then not surprising him with her own actions that bordered on the lines of contempt and a strange form of alliance. All he knew was that she had moved to America and continued to do research there, most likely for Nebula.

 

When Shizuo’s face came into his vision, the sound from the piano disappeared abruptly, his fingers suddenly feeling too heavy to move.

 

Shizuo…

Whose behavior he could never quite predict, always ruining his plans.

Whom he had picked countless fights with, just for the heck of it.

But also, whom he had so disgracefully lost to.

His face fell and he wondered if Shizuo’s thoughts lingered on him sometimes as well.

‘He probably thinks I’m dead… or hopes me to be...’

 

 

“Izayaaaaaa!”

Manami’s slurred cry hauled him from his thoughts, as he turned towards the now opening door, he could see quite the mischievous grin on her youthful face.

“I found some toys for us to play, hehehe.” She giggled and it would be a lie if that didn't creep him out just slightly.

She merely got a raised eyebrow as a response, however.

“Come!” She exclaimed, suddenly next to Izaya, grabbing his wrist and dragging him away from behind the piano and out the door before he could even begin refusing.

“At least let me grab my coat!” He nagged at her quickly, it was cold outside after all.

“Oh, you pussy it’s only September, the leaves aren't even falling yet!” She laughed at him, but threw him his coat anyway.

The air outside might have not been that cold on itself, but the wind was quite cutting and Izaya despised the cold searing against his face and neck.

Luckily, she didn't drag him too far from their house, stopping at a small grazing field on the border of the village. He noted a row of cans on the fence and looked at Manami with a tell-tale expression.

“You want to shoot cans with me?” came his amused voice.

 

Manami looked at him with a playful smirk, and giggled a bit creepily as she opened up her bag.

“No you stupid!” She pulled out a small blade, holding it proudly into the air.

“We’re going to stab them.”

 

When Izaya looked down in to the bag, his eyes widened at the countless flick blades he saw.

“Well, _you_ are anyway.” she added, still smirking.

 

Izaya couldn't help but give a little laugh as he examined some of them.“Where did you even find these?” he inquired curiously.

“A girl has her secrets.” Manami responded with a wink.

 

Izaya decided not to question her any further and felt himself filling with excitement he hadn't felt in seemingly forever as he handled one of the knives between his fingers.  
It might not have been his favourite one, because he probably wasn't going to see that ever again, but it would just have to do.

Manami watched him handle the thing with fascination but with a hint of worry in her eyes.

“Hey hey, be careful now, it’s been a while hasn't it?”

For once, Izaya put on his trademark smirk again.

“Well, let’s find out how rusty I've become then!”

 

After flinging a couple of knives at the cans, it turned out he was, in fact, _very_ rusty.

 

Manami was trying not to laugh too much at how he was failing, but Izaya could hear her sputters pretty clearly and flung her a little glare.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she squeaked but she kept giggling like a little schoolgirl.

“Oh well, it could’ve been worse” Izaya mumbled then.

 

His technique was fine, his accuracy was just off.

A _Lot_.

 

“You can come practice any time you like, I guess.” Manami then smiled reassuringly at him.

“Just don’t accidentally slice a cow or something because that would get us in trouble.” she added, pointing to a cow who had taken quite the interest in one of the cans, nuzzling it and then, of course, pushing it off the fence.

“Looks like you've got a partner in crime huh.” She chuckled again. Izaya just rolled his eyes at her.

She kept silent then as she watched him practice some more, while sitting on the fence and letting her legs dangle joyfully, enjoying the peaceful view. It was rather beautiful here, after all. So many green fields surrounded them and countless dandelions were still enjoying the pre-fall sun which covered everything in a bright orange.

It was so very different from the busy city life.

 

 

“Hey, you all right?” Izaya asked her suddenly, an eyebrow raised at her as she whipped her smiling lips towards him.

“If cows make you smile that retardedly, should I get you one for next Christmas?"

He should have known he would get punched for that comment.

“Idiot” she added gleefully.

“Ah ha ha, that I might be.” Izaya admitted, rubbing his now sore shoulder.

“But… thank you for this” He smiled sincerely at her.

 

Manami let surprise cover her face once more before she smiled brightly.

 

  
She was surprised because, although Izaya had thanked her and Kine some times before, it kept amazing her.

And she wondered once more if this was truly the man that had played her mind so many years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly 3 months later and he was almost as skilled with his knives as he was before.

Almost.

 

Unsatisfied with his current state, he focused more on retraining his other neglected skills.  
He would go out into the deep of night, running, jumping and prancing about while he chased that which he was close to becoming again.

He never caught the stray cat though.

 

He returned home injured more often then not, much to Kine’s frustration.

“What if you fall down a building and break your neck? Jeez.” He would complain, but it didn't matter much to Izaya.

 

It was already blatantly obvious to him that he would never go back to his full potential, too often he found himself making some slip-ups because he got distracted by the pain in his spine just right above his hips, or when he wanted to pull himself up with too much confidence, forgetting that his arms weren't capable of such an act yet.

They looked fine on the outside, but he knew that the bones, muscles, nerves and metal weren't exactly forming the perfect biomechanical balance of the normal human arm.

He just told himself he needed to keep going, train more, push himself more... even though he didn't know why he was doing it in the first place.

Perhaps it was just to make himself feel more ‘complete’ again.

 

Even with his disapproved training sessions, life didn't change much for any of them. Kine had enough work to do and Manami had settled into life here just as easily. Being around them had become so normal, so strangely simple. It’s almost like they formed some sort of family together.

And yet, Izaya couldn't find it in himself to completely relax in the comfortableness and warmth of it all.

His heart yearned for something else, some place else.

 

Staring outside of the window in his room, He watched the last of the autumn leaves fall under the soft moonlight, becoming dry and brittle on the floor as time passed by.

Suddenly a buzz came from his bedside table and he almost thought he imagined the sound.

It was strange to receive a message now, since the only people who had his number were Kine and Manami and they were in the room right next to him....

Curiosity claimed him as he cautiously picked up his phone, tapping on the screen.

The sender was unknown.

 

‘Figures’ he thought as he fought the urge to roll his eyes, expecting it to be some internet company with a new discount offer.  
It was nothing of the sort, however and red eyes widened in surprise as they took in the words on the screen.

 

[IKEBUKURO IS IN DANGER]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His 'guardians' stared in silence, mouths turned downwards, expressions thoughtful and suspicious.

After what seemed like hours, Kine looked him right in the eyes.

“I swear to you, Izaya, I haven’t mentioned you to anyone, ever, I-"

Izaya interrupted him with a raise of his left hand.

“I know that Kine-san, don’t worry, this isn't why I showed this to you guys.” He explained calmly.

 

Kine looked relieved to see that Izaya trusted him like that.

“I just want to know what you guys think about this… What does it mean? Why did this person send this to me?”

  
Manami’s eyes narrowed some more and she started fidgeting with her hand on her chin “Hm, maybe this person is just trying to see for sure if it’s you? Like, did you text anything back?” She asked.

“I can’t, it’s an unknown number, can't track it down.” Izaya dead-panned.

He didn't know if showing the text to them was the most strategic idea, but since they were somewhat his only friends and the only ones he could really trust right now, he figured that hiding this from them would only lead to negative consequences.

His guardians exchanged a meaningful look before returning their eyes to the one they had taken under their care for such a long time.

“Well, what do _you_ think about this?”

Kine’s direct question caught Izaya off guard somewhat, surely showing it. Their intense stare wasn't helping either...

But he decided that lying wouldn't do him any good anyway.

 

“I...” He swallowed “I'm not sure how I feel about this…” He started, frowning at his own uncertainty.  
“I just find it strange that this person would send this to me…. What would I be able to do about some danger of which I don’t even know the cause, the form... what if it isn't even true?”

Manami put on her thinking face again. “Okay but say that this _is_ true, if Ikebukuro is really in some form of ‘dang-er’” she said as she made quotation marks with her fingers “Would you want to do something about it?”.

It was the question Izaya knew would come sooner or later.

He just kept his lips in a tight line, not sure what words to form with them as his mind was overrun with all kinds of conflicting emotions.

 

“You don’t have to answer us right now” Manami added hurriedly, taking notice of his uncomfortable state.

“But you know, if what this person says is true and the people you once knew are in danger, he must’ve send it to you because maybe you’re the only one who’s capable of doing something about it?” she pointed out with a small smile coating her lips.

  
Izaya scoffed. “Why, because I’m good at my job and sniffing people out?” He blurted.

“Exactly!” Manami responded.

Kine nodded in agreement, although sternly added “But hey, this doesn't mean that messing with this is a good idea. What if it’s some kind of trap?”  
Izaya frowned at that. What if someone just wanted to lure him back into Ikebukuro in order to…

No, he didn’t want to think about it like that.

 

Feelings that were unfamiliar to him kept floundering in his system and it was starting to make him feel nauseas.

 

“I’m going out for a walk” is all he said before putting on his coat and going outside.

He regretted it soon though, as the temperature had already dropped profoundly and the sun was nowhere to be seen any more.  
But even though the dire winds cut at his face, he didn't really feel the cold. His head was too busy with other things.

 

When he came back in the evening, his mind was made up.

 

His friends were watching television in the couch when he entered, freshly made dinner on their laps. They instantly looked expectantly at Izaya once they noticed him.

“Enjoyed the nice evening weather?” Manami asked cheekily as she grinned, she knew exactly how much Izaya disliked cold wind.

 

He just gave a smirk in response, grabbing his part of the meal and joining them in the couch.

They enjoyed their dinner and watched a movie in comfortable silence. Only after they were done doing the dishes and discussing the evening news, Izaya’s voice rang out calmly but decisive.

 

“I'm going back there.” He said simply.

 

“I'm going back to Ikebukuro."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here he was, back _home._

From the looks he had received, he could tell that his friends had already expected his decision.

 

_“I knew you weren't going to stick around in Russia for much longer anyway.” Kine had winked at him._

_At the airport, Manami looked pressed and nervous._

  
_“We haven’t really talked about this, because I didn't want to think about all that any more but…” She spoke as she bit her lip “Right now, I'm glad to be alive…and if you hadn't done those things that day, I…” she added carefully, though not able to finish her sentence. A moment of silence passed over them._

_“I know this won’t do all that much to cover your face, but I thought it would suit you” She said as she quickly pushed a small package into his hands._

_A bit confused and also surprised, he couldn't restrain a chuckle at her red face, half expecting to be punched again. She settled for calling him an asshole at least one more time._

  
_Kine just watched the exchange with a fond smile and soft eyes._

 

As he now stared down at the porcelain mask in his hand, he couldn't help but crack a smile as the memory faded from his mind.

Even if they had wanted too, Izaya wouldn't let them follow him into this. And neither would he let them stop him.

This was something he wanted to figure out by himself, by putting himself in the same position as before, in the same place, with a different goal in mind.

 

He was going to show this city just how much he was capable of.

 

“I’ll find the strings…” He murmured to the cold glass.

  
“And soon enough their puppets.”

 

 

 


	2. Isn't It Just Like The Old Days

 

 

Before Izaya actually got onto 'the job', there were a couple of things to take care of...

 

First of all, he made a quick phone call to his now retired guardians. Just to let them know he arrived safely and hadn't been killed off in some crazy act of vengeance yet.

He did understand why Manami would assume such a thing, sadly.

 

Secondly, he needed to clean the place.

Severely so.

 

Nobody had entered it in over a year so it goes without saying that everything was covered in a disgusting layer of dust...

It was unsightly, really. Yet, he couldn't deny the warm feeling he got when he looked around his apartment, the familiarity of it all putting him at ease.

 

Since he had been gone for so long, he expected at least some sign of an attempted break-in but found none. Which was odd considering the countless data he possessed, some of it very valuable and sought after.

Of course, should anyone who wasn't him as much as try to get into his system, his hard drive would blow itself up, so he was very relieved to see that his computer was still standing on his desk in one piece.

He was less relieved to see the fungus in his fridge ‘Damn those tomatoes.’ and to see his decayed plants, now reduced to heaps of brittle twigs and mushy leaves.  
He really should’ve just gotten some cacti.

 

Several times through the cleaning process, he cursed himself for not just letting a cleaning crew come before he arrived. It wasn't like he never helped cleaning the house in Russia, but that was hardly on the same level as _this_.

In the end though, as he looked around the now glistening room, the sense of fulfilment of having done it all by himself was completely worth it.

  
Finally seating himself in his comfortable chair behind his desk, he was glad to hear the familiar whirring and buzzing of the computer starting up, and although the surge of pent-up dust that came flying out the ventilator was expected, he couldn't suppress a defeated moan.  
Just fucking great.

Waiting for his system to boot up, he swirled his chair around to glance at the sun slowly sinking behind the city’s skyscrapers with tired eyes.

 

He wondered if the person who sent him the text knew he was here, back in Tokyo.

  
Then again, he'd have to wait and see if the actual ‘danger’ is real first.  
If it is, then that person will probably show him/herself sooner or later, Izaya figured.

 

It wasn't like the city had changed much while he was away, although it was probably a lot more peaceful without him kicking up sparks and setting the flames free.

  
To his surprise though, it hadn't been that way right after he left.

After the night of the incident, some thought he had just disappeared, gone missing. Others, like Shinra had told him, thought that he was actually dead.

  
Thus, after a while, when it became blatantly obvious that Izaya’s presence was out of the picture, all those previously intimidated by him decided to go their merry way and bestowed disruption upon the city’s peaceful tidings once more.

  
It was nothing the Awakusu-kai couldn’t keep in check, however.

  
Though Shiki had questioned Kine once if there was ‘A certain informant’ with him in Russia, Kine had denied it, remaining loyal to Izaya’s biddings.

 

He smirked at the thought of it all. Problems erupting in Ikebukuro and its outskirts because of him _not_ being around.

  
He supposed that was just how much influence he had in this city. It had always been a bad tendency for others to underestimate him.

Well, it all worked out in his advantage now though.

Nobody, safe for his ex-guardians knew that he was back here, sitting in his office chair in his most favourite apartment, alive and well.

  
The thought was highly entertaining, all on itself.

 

“Now, time to get to work!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Russia, Kine often sought Izaya’s help, or more particularly, Izaya’s skills. He had some cases that weren't that easily apprehended and since he owed Kine more than enough favours, he helped him out.

  
He loved doing it anyway.

 

Still, it was weird sitting at his own desk, doing his usual thing again.

At least these skills weren't as rusty as his knife-throwing had been. His ego had been damaged enough by that already.

 

The internet might be a place of magic and mystery, but Izaya always found his way through the maze of codes to find what he needed.

Of course, the Dollars had been his main access to what was going on the city, the people always easily feeding information for anyone to see on the boards.

 

But they were gone now. Officially disbanded.

 

  
Then again, you can never truly stop a colourless gang. He was sure they were still lurking about, the real Dollars anyway. His mind immediately drifted to Kadota.

  
It didn't matter much though.

They had served more as amusement to Izaya then an actual source of information.

  
The same thing was true for the chat rooms. He withheld himself from visiting those again.

Even if he used a different alias, IP addresses were too easy to track down there.  
He couldn't help but be curious though, if his old ‘acquaintances’ would still be chatting away with each other...

  
He decided to leave it alone.

  
A little peace was the least he could give the previous Raira trio, even if he wanted to see what had become of them now. Mikado in particular. The boy never ceased to fascinate him.

 

‘But that’s all in the past now’ He reminded himself sternly, before returning to the job at hand.

 

 

Besides the typical illegal drug business and the classic gang problems that would never fully disappear, he had found something rather interesting.

That is, if this ‘danger’ in Ikebukuro came in the form of explosives.

 

Not that he found data of actual shipments of bombs or the like, that wouldn't go unnoticed so easily. But the components... that was something else.

  
Izaya had never actually made a bomb himself, but he knew it wasn't actually that difficult to go and make an explosive that could easily kill a dozen people, however alarming that was.

  
Not to mention how easy it is to get your hands on the ingredients nowadays, especially with the black market going full speed.

  
This particular person seemed to be in high need of nitroglycerine and countless other things that could only be described as suspicious and most probably, _very_ illegal.

Judging from the obscene amount of goods, he figured this person might be a dealer of sorts. The name on the digital file was obviously a fake code name, but that was to be expected in the black market network.

  
The best way for him to find out more information is if he could somehow find this dealer himself.

 

A little smirk found its way onto his face.

 

So that was exactly what he was going to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He had forgotten just how _stale_ the smell in this city was.

Of course, he shouldn’t compare the undergrounds of Ikebukuro with the nice countryside village in Russia where he’d been just two days before.

Honestly, he was already missing the place.

 

His ring-less fingers curled around his hood, pulling it tighter over his head. He had waited till it was dark before going out, as the underground wouldn't be active otherwise anyway.

  
His trademark jacket, no matter how much he hated leaving it behind, would have been to conspicuous, so he opted for a plain black coat instead.  
People would be able to recognize his face just as easily though, so he had put on the mask that Manami had given him as a means of concealment, however little it provided.

Honestly, he was starting to doubt if wearing it was a good idea.

Its shape was oddly unique, covering only the right side of his face and the upper bridge of his nose.

  
Black like obsidian, it was an elegant piece, decorated with subtle gold linings and swirls that you wouldn't notice in the dark of the night unless you’re up close.

  
It _was_ the holiday season though, with Christmas and New year’s eve creeping closer, so it might just be interpreted as something festive.

Plus, this was the underground scene of the city, plenty of people had odd looks here and no one cared about it.

So he’ll just take his chances.

 

He had traced the dealer’s code name all the way to this little club he now stood in front of.

  
Apparently, he was he very busy person, dealing in all sorts of things that made eyebrows rise. And this ‘club’ was where he met most of his clientèle.

 

Izaya had been here before, he realised as he entered the place.

Not long after he started as an information broker, he had met some of his clients here as well.

How nostalgic.

 

The loud music and flashing lights hit his senses almost instantly, the contrast from the previous silence an overload to his ears.  
He didn't let it bother him too much though, as he moved smoothly between the mass of people.

  
It appears that the club had gained quite a bit in popularity, in any case.

More people were good though, he would be a lot more unnoticeable that way.

 

He had one problem with this mission of his tonight, and that was that he didn't know what this dealer is supposed to look like, so he would have to either ask someone or try to eavesdrop it off.

  
Eavesdropping was going to be a little problem though, with all this noise.

Hood still pulled tightly over his head, he sat down at the bar and signalled the bartender.

  
He guessed he should do this old school.

  
He gingerly asked the bartender for information, saying he was supposed to come and pick up a certain ‘asset’ of his.

He got a suspicious glance or two by said man who looked like he was working at a back-door snack bar instead of a secret fancy club. In the end he just pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

  
“Down the hall, far left” he grumbled.

  
Izaya gave a quick thanks and wasted no time moving to his target.

  
The music was draining out with every step he took in the narrow hall. Left and right were people hanging against the walls, some intertwined intimately with one another, others dealing suspicious substances like they were candy.

  
‘Oh, if only Akabayashi-san was here right now.’ He let a smirk creep on his up-till now stoic face at the thought.

  
His attention went to the person now leaving the door he was supposed to enter. It was just some young guy, looking like he just got scorned for getting an F- on his exam. He slammed the door closed after angrily yelling “Keep your damn shit then!” and then moved past Izaya hastily, not even acknowledging him with a single glance.

  
Standing in front of said door himself now, Izaya restrained from smiling too much at the obvious deal gone wrong.

He gave a couple of light knocks before receiving a “Come in.” that was followed by what he thought was a sigh.

  
The room was small and dark. Some candles were lit and scattered across the furniture that nearly filled up the tiny place. The air was thick with cigarette smoke that attacked Izaya’s lungs almost instantly. It took him some the effort not to start coughing like an awkward moron.

He _really_ disliked cigarettes. And not just because of he obscene smell...

 

  
His person of interest was sitting comfortably in an old leather couch and signalled him to sit down. Smooth like a panther, Izaya did after clicking the door behind him closed.

An old, dented coffee table separated the space between them, and only when the man finally raised his head he could make out the hard, old features he wore in the warm candlelight.

  
“Looks like your previous client wasn't very happy, hm?” Izaya started mischievously, removing his hood from his face. The little light in the room wasn't going to pose a threat to his identity, he figured, so he might as well be somewhat polite.

  
“Ah well, some people think they can just get _expensive_ things without paying up front” The man responded, amused with a smirk. Izaya returned the smirk, albeit careful not to strain it too much.

 

He was famous for it, after all.

 

  
“That’s a nice mask.” the guy commented next.

  
“Ah, thank you.” Izaya responded respectively.

  
“Where’d you get it?” the question was laced with interest.

  
“Venice.” Izaya answered. Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it’s not like he got it there himself. He wasn’t even sure if Manami did.

The man did a small whistle at that.

  
“So, what can I do for you today?” He began then “You looking for something specific? Or coming to pick something up Mr.-?”

  
“Ah, my name isn’t really important” Izaya replied smoothly “ _You_ are Ryu-san though, correct?”

  
The man looked a bit confused but answered nonetheless “The one and only, guess we haven’t met before huh?” He dipped his cigarette in the ashtray, crumpling it down a bit more forceful than he needed too. “You know, I had no more appointments today so you better tell me what you want real fast before I lose my interest, Mr. anonymous”. He added sternly.

  
“I need a name.” the raven chirped rather calmly. Ryu raised an eyebrow at him, so Izaya continued.

  
“You purchase from the black market overseas yes? Any chance you had a particularly big order of nitroglycerine placed hm?” He continued confidently. The man’s eyes had widened throughout his words.

He flinched and laughed then “Oh ho ho, aren't we the little rat?” He remarked as he lit another cigarette, Izaya watched the flame rise and fall.

  
“What makes you think I’ll just give you a client’s name like that? Just cuz you have info on my shipments doesn't mean you can intimidate me y’know?” The man continued, smirking and blowing out more smoke.

  
“Oh no no, you've got me all wrong.” Izaya then started, waving his hands in front of him as an apologetic gesture.

“You see, I'm willing to pay you quite the sum for just one silly name.” he continued, pointing up his index finger as he did, twirling an invisible thread around it.

Ryu didn’t seem fazed at all, although his eyes lit up a bit when Izaya mentioned the money. Typical.

  
“Pfft, I make enough as it is, you’ll just make me lose clients and thus money in the long run if that guy finds out I sold him out like that.” The man replied, his voice rough, warning Izaya to stop pushing it.

  
‘Ah, so it is a man, at least.’ Izaya thought, a victorious glint in his eye. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with a vixen like Kujiragi or Mimizu again.

  
Izaya sighed and slumped a bit then.

  
“I see, that’s just too bad then.”

  
Before the man had a chance to respond to the sudden mischievous glint in Izaya’s eyes, a needle was stabbing in the side of his neck.

  
The man slumped away into his leather couch, cigarette dropping to the concrete floor, unable to utter another word in the shock he carried in his eyes.

  
“Shhh, don’t worry, it’s just a little tranquilizer, nothing too damaging” Izaya hummed at his ear. “Now, unless you do want some real damage done.” he continued as he drew his flick blade and pointed it at man’s neck in a false threat.

  
“Would you kindly tell me who it was that placed that order? Or do I have to look through your ‘administration’” Izaya referred to the old crumpled books lying next to them as he continued “to find out and spread some of your other client’s names just for fun?”

  
He already knew he was going to get what he wanted when the auburn eyes he was intimidating were filled with panic.

  
He made a mental note to thank Kine later for letting him borrow some of those tranquillizers.

 

They _sure_ were helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After collecting the information he required, Izaya quietly left the room, closed the door behind him, pulled his hood back down over his head and seemingly moved on without a single worry.

  
_“Now, you just forget about this little encounter and I’ll forget about where exactly I got this information, all right?”_ was the last thing he'd said to Ryu.

 

He wouldn’t want him starting a commotion about some masked man disturbing the market trade.

It would mess with his mission too much.

  
Apparently, this ‘nitroglycerine guy’ had barged in here once, demanding a truckload of materials that were obviously for creating something that would go BOOM, to put it simply. The alias ‘Akai’ that he left behind was obviously not a real name, or else this guy was really fucking stupid, not that Izaya would mind that.

  
Nevertheless, the shipments were already complete and delivered as well.

  
Which was, all things considered, bad news.

 

The guy's description Ryu gave him wasn't exactly helpful either. Brown hair, thin frame and still somewhat young. There were plenty of people like that. It wasn't going to help at all.

  
‘If only I had come a bit earlier to the chase.’ Izaya thought to himself, walking back into the buzzing lights and feeling the bass vibrating through his bones as some heavy dance record came bashing through the speakers.

  
He got pulled from his deep thoughts however, as he caught a shock of blond hair in the corner of his eyes.

  
He couldn't restrain them from widening as he turned his head towards the owner of said golden locks, framing a familiar face and blue sunglasses behind a thin wall of glass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo hated these particular jobs. These particular _places._

  
It reeked of criminal activity.

  
It was way too noisy too. Even inside the glass cased office they were in now, the music just seeped through the material, making the floor tremble ever so slightly.

  
Looking to his right, he let his eyes roam for a bit over the mass of people.

Dancing, laughing, enjoying themselves.

Yet, Shizuo only saw idiots being high and drinking way too much alcohol at their age.

 

Well, at least he could smoke in here. That’s _some_ consolation at least.

 

“Look, I’m sorry to barge in on you like this, but we have tried to contact you for a really long time already.” Tom explained to the supposed owner of the joint.  
“If you would just pay up your debt, we would never bother you again, we promise.” he continued with a forced smile, obviously not a fan of the setting himself either.

The fat man in the sleek black suit took a long drag of his cigar from behind his shiny, mahogany desk, face plain and unamused.

  
“You’ve got some guts coming into these parts and demanding money from me, Tanaka-san..." The man replied, the robust looking bouncer next to him smirking at his response.

  
Shizuo was getting annoyed already, releasing a low growl that vibrated from his neck to his feet. Neither of the men were intimidated by it though.

  
“Now, I am a pretty _busy_ person you know, so if you don’t mind, my man Najin here will see you outside” the bastard added as he put on a smirk of his own, obviously enjoying his display of power.

  
All the bouncer had to do was move a step too close to Tom and Shizuo’s patience snapped in half, much like the cigarette he had taken out of his mouth, stomping it into bits on the over-expensive looking carpet underneath him.

  
“Look, you owe us so we aren’t leaving until you pay up, you got that?” He threatened them, which usually did the trick nowadays. He didn’t even have to punch most idiots anymore, they already knew him well enough and would rather avoid getting blasted through walls or being thrown into the sky like a rag doll.

This time though, he got a cocked gun aimed at his face instead of cowering chickens.

  
He merely raised an eyebrow at it.

“Ah, Heiwajima Shizuo, aren’t you the interesting character. I’ve heard quite some stories about you, you know. I do wonder if someone like you would survive a bullet to the head, Hm?” The boss spoke, amused and mockingly.

  
“Would you like to find out?” he finished after taking another long drag of his cigar.

  
Shizuo flinched, but refused to back down.

  
‘Fucking piece of shit.’ he thought as he glared hard at them, bare knuckles straining in his skin.

 

Meanwhile Tom was starting to get nervous and tried to reason his way out “Oi oi, let’s talk about –

 

“Agh!” out of nowhere, a knife came flying through the glass and embedded itself into the bouncer’s hand, making him drop the gun in pain.

  
Shizuo wasted no time in placing a good punch to his face, knocking him through the wall behind him and into another office where some minor was busy packing suspicious looking powder into plastic bags.

  
Said person shrieked, his eyes shifting quickly from the knocked-out man that was now face-planted into the floor next to his feet to Shizuo’s still struck out fist. He then pulled an expression of pure panic and ran away yelling around like a crazed person.

 

The music in the club just kept on playing though, despite the obvious ruckus.

 

“So, about that money...” Tom then cheekily asked the boss, whom was now scared shitless.

  
While said bastard was counting out the indebted money for Tom, Shizuo inspected the small knife that had struck the bouncer out of nowhere.  
It had been flung with high precision, he noticed, even breaking through the glass of the office window.

  
But when his eyes roamed over the club floor, he couldn't find anyone suspicious.

  
And yet, there was this smell in the air.

  
He couldn’t quite place it, but still…

  
It was _familiar_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Why the fuck did I do that?'

 

Yes, why indeed did he?

  
Izaya had been more than shocked to see Shizuo so unexpectedly and had almost been petrified to the spot, grateful that the blond hadn’t noticed him.

And then next thing he knew, some guy was pointing a gun at his nemesis’ face.

He flung the knife without thinking, not even sure if it would penetrate the glass.

Luckily, it did, and hit the target dead on.

 

He didn’t wait for the impending sound of concrete breaking to make a run for it.

 

And now, as he was running down the streets, he realized what he was feeling was fear.  
But he didn’t quite know from where it had come from.

  
After the flight response pulsing throughout his body dissipated, he stopped for a minute to catch his breath.

 

‘My condition isn’t what it used to be.’ He thought grimly, smiling mockingly to himself.

 

  
He took a quick look at the night sky then, closed his eyes and forced himself to breath in and out at a slow pace.

  
‘There’s no reason to be fed up now.’ he thought to himself, soothing his conscience.

  
A serious look slipped on his face then as he took out his phone in an elegant sweep.

 

He knew one thing for sure, concerning the current circumstances.

  
He was going to need allies in this fight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at his apartment, Izaya greedily slurped down the instant noodles he found in the cabinet of his kitchen.

  
Besides the fact that it was far from delicious nor nutritious, he was glad that there was at least something edible in here. He hadn't thought about food at all when he came back, way too focused on the mission at hand.

  
‘I’m going to have to order a lot of take-outs...’ he thought. Grocery shopping meant going out through the day, which increased the risk of being seen.

Which meant a big no-no.

 

Finishing his cup, he placed it down on the counter and moved swiftly to the room where he kept one of his most precious things.  
He needed a little break, after all.

No-one but him had ever been allowed in this room, not even Namie.

  
He entered into the darkness and flicked on the switch, causing light to shine on the black grand piano that stood in the middle of the matte-white room.

Despite it being abandoned for so long, the notes sounded just about right and as his fingers danced familiarly over the keys, he remembered just how much he missed this.

The piano back in their apartment in Russia had been a real consolation for sure, but it just wasn't the same as playing on his own majestic one.

 

The music helped him think. It helped him cope. Now certainly more than ever before.

  
It was his secret.

  
His strength and at the same time, his weakness.

 

 

The eventful day made its way through his mind.

  
He decided it had been fairly successful, at least the informative part. Even if he had to resort to violent ways to get what he wanted.  
It wasn't like he had enjoyed that, threatening another human with the shine of his knife. It was something he had always reserved for Shizu-ch-… _Shizuo_ specifically.

  
But there was no going back from this.

 

When he felt his phone buzz, he smoothly ended his song.  
Feeling a bit more relaxed, he read the message he received and smiled.

 

Finally, it was time to meet with an old acquaintance.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!


	3. The Function That Is Dysfunction

 

 

The Headless Rider of Ikebukuro was at peace.

  
A year and a half ago, she was in a state of complete turmoil and it had taken quite some time to adjust back into the ‘normal’ daily life in the city.

  
In the end, many things had changed and yet, many also hadn't.

  
She still had Shinra at her side. And to be fair, that was all she ever really needed.

 

“Oi Celty, no fair!” said person complained loudly, currently losing to her in a racing game.

Her shoulders shook in a giggling motion and Shinra took notice of it, but wouldn't let down just yet as his eyes turned hard in concentration towards the screen again.

  
At the last sprint for victory, her PDA suddenly buzzed, distracting her and thus, _of course_ ,  rendering her unable to see the obstacle that she crashed against right before the finish line.

  
“Victory!” Shinra exclaimed, doing a little cheerful dance as he grinned like the idiot he was.

Celty just shook her head in disappointment, annoyed at her loss. She quickly looked at her PDA to see who made her lose the game.

When she read the message, however, she suddenly tensed up. This didn’t go unnoticed by Shinra though.

  
“Celty?” he questioned curiously, a hinge of worry in his voice.  
She looked up at him, quickly responding.

  
[It’s nothing special, just a new job.]

  
Shinra didn't seem convinced. “At this hour? Hm.” he started, but Celty had already risen up from the couch and put on her helmet.

  
[I’ll be back soon enough, don’t worry all right?]

  
Catching the vibe of it being important, Shinra agreed to let her go.

  
But not before whining some more about it and hugging her until she jabbed him in the ribs again...

At least they exchanged a little ‘forehead kiss’ before she exited the apartment.

 

Sighing a puff of black smoke, she got Shooter out of the garage and drove off into the night.

 

Of all people, Celty didn’t expect to hear from Orihara Izaya again.

  
_[Can we talk? – Kanra]_ had been the message.

 

The last time she had seen Izaya, he was unconscious and looked completely miserable. She could hardly believe the damage Shizuo had done to him.

But then again, Izaya had it coming after all the things he had done over the years...

  
Still, she couldn't let him die like that. So she had closed of his wounds, hoping that it would be enough…  
She never heard from him again though, and a couple of times she deemed him dead after all.

One time, she had asked Shinra about it, but he had acted strangely indifferent, talking his way out of the subject in obvious discomfort.

She hadn't brought it up again after that.

  
She did discuss the subject with Shizuo a couple of times. He was bothered by it all more than he let show, always masking his frustration concerning the whole ordeal with anger and annoyance. Celty knew that. But she couldn't exactly soothe the other's conscience before knowing more herself...

 

Shooter neighed as he took another turn, she wasn't particularly driving anywhere yet, still debating whether she would go see Izaya or not.

  
She never really liked him, even though she really _tried_ a couple of times after hearing something ‘remotely’ positive of his past actions.

But he was too much of a sly fox. Too easy to distrust.

  
After all, he deceived her quite a lot of times as well AND made her do ‘dirty’ jobs for him, although he compensated her for those very generously...

 

Somehow, the message held this underlying feeling for her. Why would Izaya want to talk to her? If he was back to just start working as an informant again and needed a job done, then he wouldn't hide behind a fake name, right?

What if it wasn't even really him? What if it was some imposter?

She felt the sudden need to sniff this out, curiosity peaking within her.

Smoothly sliding out her phone from her palm, she messaged him her reply.

  
[All right, place and time?]

 

If it truly was Izaya, she was going to give him a chance.

 

That was the kind of person she was, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The air was getting colder, the winter’s chill descending on the city of Ikebukuro.

  
Izaya hated being cold, never quite able to shake off that stinging bite of the wind...

But he would bear with it.

  
In the distance he heard the echo of a horse's neigh. The sound stirred a feeling of nostalgia within him.

 

The meeting place he had chosen was quiet and void of other life, having scanned it beforehand. It does seem he has an affinity for abandoned construction complexes.

 

Only seconds later Celty arrived, smoothly parking Shooter at a small distance from Izaya before approaching him.

  
Now face to face or well, face to helmet, Izaya removed his hood and his mask, allowing her to recognize him.

 

“Thanks for coming.” he said, giving a slight smile. He hoped it didn't look to malicious… for once he was trying not to be.

  
She tensed up for a moment, as if surprised to see him there, like she was expecting someone else.  
Quickly recomposing herself, she started typing on her PDA.

  
[No problem...] came the reply, the way she was tilting her head was as if she was inspecting him. It made him feel oddly self-conscious.

She hadn't taken off her helmet as he did his mask though…perhaps the information he'd found had been true then.  
She didn't have her head anymore.

  
Somehow, he knew Shinra had to do with it. He had to...

 

[You look different, somehow.] she remarked suddenly, regaining his attention.

  
“Ah, well, it’s been a while I suppose.” he answered vaguely, not quite sure what to say to that.

  
[Where have you been all this time?] Celty asked curiously. Izaya gave a little scoff.

  
“Russia.” he replied shortly.

  
[Ah, I see…]

  
A little awkward silence followed.

 

“So, about the message…” Izaya started, regaining her attention again. Celty acted as if she had forgotten why she was here in the first place.

“I didn't actually plan on returning here…at least not this soon.” He began carefully.

“In Russia, I got an anonymous message saying that Ikebukuro was in danger, so I decided to come and investigate it myself.”

Celty tilted her head, a bit confused. Granted, it would sound rather suspicious to himself as well.

“Needless to say, Ikebukuro has its typical problems every day, but I did find something rather alarming and I went a bit deeper into it.” he continued, voice serious and to the point.

  
“It seems like there’s someone or perhaps even _some_ people that are making bombs, I'm not sure exactly how many or for what purpose, but I don’t think it should be underestimated…”

Celty visibly tensed at this words and hastily started typing again.

  
[Bombs?! Are you sure?]

  
Izaya gave a sigh. “Yes, unfortunately I’m pretty sure."  
“I’m still investigating this further though, but… well...” He continued, eyes turning downwards.

  
“I can already say that this guy is working fast, even though I’m not sure what he’s aiming for yet, but when the time comes, I’m going to need help stopping him, most likely."  
He looked her straight in the eyes. “Plus, if worse comes to worst and something should happen to me, I need someone else to take over.”

  
His eyes sank to the floor again. “I know I’m in no position to ask this of you, but I also know what kind of person you are, Celty...”

He looked up again, staring into the invisible eyes that were surely looking back at his own.  
“That’s why…I'm asking you.”

 

Celty was speechless, appearing rather dumbstruck.

  
She then shook her head in a quick fashion and resumed typing again.

  
[How do I know if this is true?]

She was asking Izaya if she could trust him.  
He expected this.

  
Wordlessly, he pulled out some papers of the shipment data, handing them over to her and explaining some of the content it displayed, from the explosive wares to the technological bouts he wasn't even that schooled in yet. He made a mental note to read up on the science that was ‘making explosives’ later. He was probably going to need that knowledge later anyway.

  
She then regarded Izaya once more, staring at his calm face, so devoid of that trademark smirk he always used to wear.  
Izaya waited patiently as she started typing again.

  
[All right, I’ll help out.]

 

Izaya gave a sigh of relief, followed by a small smile which almost made Celty go into shock. It was amusing, really.

“Good, I’ll keep you updated then."

  
She gave a curt nod at that.

“Oh by the way, Celty...” Izaya suddenly started a bit doubtfully as she was moving towards Shooter.

  
“How is Shinra?” He asked carefully. He wanted to know how the man who was once his only friend was doing, after all.

  
Celty seemed a bit surprised by the question, but answered smoothly.

  
[He’s still the same goof ball, as always.]

  
Izaya couldn't restrain a small chuckle. “I see."

  
There was a little break of silence again before Celty typed some more.

  
[Your sisters are fine as well.] she continued before she cheekily added [Not that they've matured that much…] 

  
“Heh, well those two may never change…” he responded, his tone slightly sad. He hadn’t visited his sisters yet, but then again it wouldn’t be a good idea to. Not right now.

“By the way, try to keep this a secret all right? To the eyes of the public, Orihara Izaya hasn’t made a return to this city yet.” he added quickly, giving Celty a little wink, the mischievous part of him breaking through.

  
Celty got on Shooter as she replied.

[If you’re asking me to lie to Shinra, I can’t.]

  
He sighed in response, he expected as much.

  
[But I’ll make sure he shuts up about it, all right?] she added.

  
Izaya nodded with a satisfied expression on his face with that promise.

  
“Oh, and Celty.”

  
She whipped her head around to Izaya once more, Shooter standing by patiently.

  
“Thank you, for what you did that night."

 

  
And then he was off, back into the dark of night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was almost midnight when Celty returned home, still feeling rather odd about what had just transpired.

  
Like it wasn't really Izaya that she had met up with.

 

  
He had called her a person.

  
He had asked her for help.

  
He was trying to protect the city.

  
He had  _thanked_ her for saving him that night.

 

‘But it really was him, wasn’t it?’ her own thoughts whispered to her.

 

Seeing his face after that long had stirred something in her, something akin to relief. Relief that he wasn't dead. That she had saved him after all. That she had saved a life.

That feeling was indescribable every time.

 

As she entered the living room, Shinra half-pounced on her happily, arms encircling her tightly.

“Ah Celty, you’re back! I was getting worried, how did it go?” He started yammering, she didn’t even bother pushing him off and dragged him all the way to the couch before plumping down on it.

  
She took a moment to process the situation some more before looking at Shinra next to her, still smiling at her with those sparkling eyes begging for affection.

  
[Sorry Shinra, but it wasn’t a job, actually…] she showed him. Shinra muttered an unintelligent “uh?” in response while she typed on.

  
[It was Izaya, he asked to talk.] she decided to put in bluntly.

  
Shinra stared long and hard at the phone screen, wondering whether she was joking or not.

[I’m serious.] Celty added due to lack of response.

  
[Apparently he was in Russia all this time, but he’s back now, although I don’t know where exactly he’s staying… ah, but that doesn’t matter!] She kept typing enthusiastically.

 

“What did he want?” Shinra asked her suddenly, his face and voice suddenly very serious.

 

[He asked me for help...] came the blunt reply.

 

“… Izaya… asking…help?” Shinra couldn’t help but look at her as if she was tricking him.

  
[Yes! I could hardly believe it myself but it appears to be quite serious, there’s someone who’s planning to bomb the city!] Celty was really doing her best to convince Shinra this wasn’t some joke, but his distrust was understandable.

  
Shinra just frowned, probably not sure what to think of the situation.

 

“If that’s true, why would Izaya care about it?” He questioned her.

Celty seemed to think it over for a bit.  
[I’m not sure… but he seemed honest...] She paused for a moment before continuing.

 

[He seemed…different, Shinra.]

 

Her serious demeanour seemed to do the trick for Shinra.

  
“I see…” was all he could muster up, however.

[Please Shinra, just keep this between us for now. Let me see this through!]

  
Shinra then smiled at her, that softness of affection returning to his eyes.

“Fine, fine!” He sighed, surrendering.

  
“But if he even endangers you for a second I’m injecting him full of insulin!” he followed up with a playful grin.

  
Celty just shook her head again as she got up.

  
[Let’s call it a night.] She announced, already moving to the bedroom.  
It didn’t take Shinra long to follow her in his overexcited enthusiasm, blabbering all kinds of sweet things to her.

 

She had many things she loved in this city. People, places, memories and she really wanted to protect them...

  
Shinra, most of all.

 

So that’s what she was going to do, even if it meant working together with Izaya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Izaya thought he woke to the sound of birds singing.  
But he didn’t.

  
It was merely a figment of his dream, a dream where he was still in that little forgotten town in Russia, with his two friends.

He felt a foreign feeling of loneliness swallow him up as he realized where exactly he truly was.

 

Sure, he was by himself plenty of times and that had never bothered him in the past.

  
But being alone and being lonely isn't the same thing.

 

The fact that it was Christmas tomorrow wasn’t helping either, since he had no one to spend it with this time. He didn't care much for the holiday on itself, he wasn't exactly religious... but Kine and Manami thought it would bring some 'joy' into the house.

And it really had done that.

 

 

After lying awake and staring at his ceiling for another fifteen minutes he decided he wasn't going to get much sleep any more anyway. So he got up, made himself a cup of coffee and seated himself at his computer again.

  
His tired eyes were quickly replaced with focused ones as he continued his search for information on this ‘Akai’ character.

  
An excited smile soon formed on his lips.

  
He would probably never grow tired of the challenge of worming his way into the mind another human being.  
To get into their system without them even noticing, and then pulling the floor from underneath them.

It was the greatest thrill in the world.

  
He supposed he might never truly lose that side of himself...

But neither did he really want to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That same day, he ventured out into the city again.

  
‘Well, so much for only going out at night...’

  
He supposed it was close enough, the horizon was already colouring a deep orange with strikes of purple slicing through the sky. The sun would soon sink to the other side of the Earth, leaving this one in darkness.

  
A darkness he liked to hide in.

 

It had been a good decision to come here earlier then past sunset, or he might have missed that one innocent looking young man whistling around in the warehouse he was currently spying on.

  
It hadn’t taken Izaya that long to find Akai’s activity on the net, the guy was stupid enough to use the same alias in different places as the one he used to purchase from the dealer, Ryu. Having attained the right IP address, he was hacking into the guy’s system in no time, only to be disappointed in the little activity this guy had on his pc.

  
Still, he found a reference to the location that Ryu had also generously given him with his little visit last time, so now he was at least sure it wasn't fake or some sort of trap.

  
In any case, that ‘location’ was where he was right now.

It being an old warehouse, laying a bit concealed from the main population as it was in an industrious district.

He was disappointed to see it entirely empty once he sneaked inside, but there were countless shifting tracks and tools on the floor that proved recent activity.

  
When he noticed the young guy he spotted before waltzing by in front of him, Izaya’s spirits were suddenly lifted.

  
So lifted in fact, that he forgot it wasn’t entirely dark yet and he was standing unconcealed in the open space with the horizon gleaming full strength at his back.

  
So when the guy spotted him, he gave a surprised yelp and ran off much like a deer would when it saw a predator.

Izaya didn’t expect him to just run at his sight though, he had no idea who he was, right?

...Perhaps the mask had freaked him out.

 

Nevertheless, he wasted no time in sprinting after him.

  
The guy was obviously younger than him, but by no means faster. He caught up in a matter of seconds, swiftly making the guy trip to the floor with a sweep of his leg.

A resounding yelp came from said person before falling down unceremoniously on his face, which made it all the easier for Izaya to pin him down with whatever small weight he had.

This way the guy wouldn’t get a good look at his ‘predator’s’ face either.

Wasting no time, He pulled out a flickblade to hold at the guy’s throat, the whimper that followed brought no particular joy to Izaya, but it was necessary to pose a threat. Answers always came fastest in the face of death.

  
“My, my running at the sight of a mere stranger, if that isn’t suspicious behaviour then I don’t know what is.” Izaya began, smirking into the words.

  
“P-Please! I’m just a simple construction worker, you just scared me! I d-“  
“Cut the crap!” Izaya interrupted sternly, pushing the knife into the skin of the guy’s neck.

  
“I know what they’ve been working on here, and you were probably part of it, so you better tell me what you know right now unless you want your pitiful little life to end here.”  
Izaya knew he could sound really scary if he wanted to, but the way this guy was whimpering was making his eyes roll.

  
‘What a wuss.’

  
“O-okay! There’s this guy, he didn’t give us his name, said it wasn’t important, he hired me and some colleagues for some work, typical detonators and bombs, h-he provided all the clean materials and was paying us insanely well, w-we couldn’t possibly refuse, I-I’m sorry!” The guy rambled, clearly afraid of the knife digging into his throat.

  
“I don’t give a shit about your apologies, how many bombs? How big? Where did he take them?” Izaya would leech everything he could off of him.

  
“F-Five! Quite big ones too, could each b-blow up a small building easily, I-I don’t know w-where they are now though, I was only meant to stay behind and clean everything up!”

  
Izaya let the information sink in for a bit as the guy underneath him kept rambling on about how he didn’t build the bombs himself and only coordinated the others, probably trying to shush his own conscience.

  
‘Five bombs, of that calibre… this is more serious than I thought.’ his thoughts roamed, alarmed.

  
“This guy who hired you, what’d he look like?” Izaya questioned again, maybe this kid could get him a good description at least.

  
“I-I’ve never seen him in person, he communicates only through the phone he gave me.”

  
“Give it.” Izaya demanded sternly, letting up the knife a bit so the guy could fetch his phone from his jacket’s pocket before giving it to Izaya with a shaky hand.

“I-I’m supposed to get rid of it today!” the teen added meekly.

  
Izaya gave it a quick look, it was quite the modern phone, big shiny screen and all. He’ll have to look at it later.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll take care of that for you...” he smirked as he said the words.

  
Before he could get any more questions formed however, the sound of echoing footsteps and voices reached his ears.

  
“A word of this to anyone, and I’ll find you and cut you into little pieces, you hear?” came the false threat, but only the raven would truly now...

  
Those were the last words the boy heard before he felt the weight lift off of him, but when he quickly turned around, the mysterious man in the mask had already vanished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As he walked his way back to Shinjuku, Izaya scanned the call log of the phone he just acquired from the so-called construction worker. The only contact available was Akai.

He couldn't help rolling his eyes once more. Honestly, going by one alias was, again, a horribly stupid thing to do.

  
Then again, perhaps this was another one of those organizations like the Yodogiri Jinnai ‘institution’.

Which meant a bunch of people working together under one name.

The thought made him cringe.

  
Messing with an organization like that didn't end well for Izaya the last time...

 

  
Anyhow, it was still too soon to conclude such things, Akai could just as much be an underling, doing all the work for the true villain whom was still unknown.

  
Izaya wondered if he should call the number displayed on the screen in front of him… he was sure the conversation would be highly amusing but he restrained from it.

  
He still needed to know more, first.

  
His eyes widened at the countless data the phone possessed regarding the construction of the explosives. He scanned over files that were obviously plans, schemes, layouts and the like. He then recalled the construction guy saying he was supposed to get rid of the phone… _this_ was probably why.

 

“Oi, you there!”

  
Startled at the sudden shout that echoed all the way down the empty street, Izaya turned around to the sight of four men walking or rather half-stumbling towards him. Some of them with open beer bottles in hand.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’ Izaya thought, annoyance already showing in his eyes directed the drunks in front of him.

“You got some cigs for me and my mates? We’re out you see.” one drawled out to him.

  
“Do I look like I do?” came Izaya’s annoyed answer, like he would ever touch a something as disgusting as a cigarette.

It wasn't the best thing to say though, because now the men were staring him up and down, analysing his entire being.

“Hm, no you’re right.” one of them responded then, eyeing him with interest.

  
“More like, some kind of fancy prostitute, with that pretty mask and all.” Another man filled in with the dirtiest smirk Izaya had ever seen.

  
Ah, that’s right, he hadn’t bothered to pull his hood down since he hadn’t expected to encounter anyone in these parts…

He regretted that decision now.

Now he had to deal with a bunch of intoxicated perverts.

 

“Excuse me?” Annoyance was even more clear on his face now and he could hardly suppress the twitch in his eye. He shot the men a nasty glare, wanting to sport his trademark smirk to creep them out, but he decided against it, instead answering with an amused yet threatening tone.

  
“Not only are you imbeciles _completely_ wrong, but you’re also messing with the wrong person so I would back off if I were you..." He pulled out his flick-blade to add to his effort of scaring them away.

It didn’t work, however.

 

“Oh, I think he wants to have some fun with us.” one of them slurred in response, moving closer to Izaya then.

  
Oh that’s right.

  
Drunk people couldn’t think rationally and were horrible to deal with.

  
Or maybe he just really lost his touch…

  
Sighing, he decided that he didn’t have time to deal with a bunch of idiots like this anyway.

In a flash he flung his flick-blade at one of the men’s bottles, successfully cutting through it, making the lower half of the beer flask crash onto the hard surface beneath. Before they could recover from the surprise, Izaya had already turned on his heel and was running away at a fast pace.

  
It was his turn to be surprised then, when after the angry yells of “Oi, he just ran off!” and “Rude piece of shit!”, they decided to run after him and weren’t letting up even after two blocks.

  
‘For real?’

This _really_ wasn’t his night.

  
He decided to pick up his pace a bit more then, managing to put himself further away from his pursuers.  
Up ahead he scanned a busy crossroads, so he took a swift turn to the right as the street ended and just kept on running along with the fast cars that zoomed past him.

When he focused his vision to a figure on the pavement up ahead though, he suddenly froze.  
A tremor passed through his legs at the involuntary halt, vibrating all the way up his form, almost making him fall over due to the momentum.

 

The sight of a familiar bartender outfit had been enough to start up the process of the familiar fight or flight response in his system again.

When his eyes reached the sunglasses he knew so well before him, his muscles completely clenched up.

  
Time was slowing down, his vision blurring out when memories from _that_ night assaulted his mind.

  
Unwelcome.

  
Unyielding.

 

_“Goodbye.” A rough voice._

 

'No'

  
Not this again.

  
Not now.

 

_A strike, the sound of glass breaking into scraps and pieces._

 

‘What am I doing?’ his present thoughts tried breaking through his mind.

 

_“Does that guy have a death wish?” A man questioned, watching the fight from the sidelines._

 

He heard real voices behind him then, the present situation mixing its way into his consciousness. Those drunk bastards were still running after him, he realized.

  
Izaya had to think fast, really fast.

 

‘I have to move.’

 

Adrenaline was surging through his body, pushing his heartbeat to its limit, the sound echoing in his ears, making him feel nauseous.

 

‘I have to move.’ his mind kept coaxing.

 

_A heartless glare, threatening to end it all._

 

Despite the sensory overload, he tried focusing on the present. He _had_ to.

 

‘I have to MOVE.’

 

Panicking, he realized he had nowhere to go. At his back were the drunks, in front of him his mortal enemy, to the right an endless line of towering buildings and to his left a road filled with speeding traffic.

 

‘I have to fucking MOVE!’

 

Rational thinking aside, Izaya forced himself to move his legs and sprinted head first to the left, straight into the oncoming traffic.

  
He missed the shocked expression on the face of the man he was staring at only seconds before as he did so, as well as the shout and the arm that went up, following his direction.

  
Cars screeched loudly to a halt at his black form, some honking loudly at his dance of death over the street.

  
He vaguely registered the sound a collision somewhere to his left.

  
His body was moving purely by itself now, epinephrine pushing past the barriers as his eyes scanned up ahead, envisioning another car that was coming from the right.

At this pace, he wouldn’t be able to dodge it, even if the car was already breaking hard at his appearance so he gambled his arm’s fragility with a dodge roll over the hood.

  
The instant he landed on his feet he was up again, running like he was getting chased by rabid dogs.

 

All he was thinking about was getting as much space between him and the man at the other side of the road.

 

He had to get away.

 

_He had to get away._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a side-note, I'm going into a busy period now (exams, kill me plz) but I wrote a lot up front, so know that I'll do my best to update as soon as I can! 
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Wish you all the best in 2016 :)


	4. You With The Eyes Ever Met, Not Forgotten

 

 

 

The day had been rather calm, for once.

  
Only a couple of clients brought up ‘trouble’ and either refused to pay up or just kept on whining about how broke they were, _again_.

  
Shizuo couldn’t care less about it all. He just wanted to get his job done and then go and enjoy this Christmas evening with Kasuka in peace.  
It had been a while since he talked to his brother in private so he was really looking forward to it.

When he entered Russia Sushi, Simon waved happily at him, greeting him with his awkward Japanese and guided him to where Kasuka was already waiting.

  
While they ate, they discussed their typical everyday things, such as Shizuo’s uneventful weeks filled with cigarettes and delegates and Kasuka’s over-busy schedule and upcoming New year’s show, which he would present together with Ruri.

  
Their manager wanted to make it the ‘biggest’ and most magnificent show of all time. It didn’t really matter much to Kasuka though.  
It was just work to him, after all.

Shizuo was excited for him nonetheless.

  
Tomorrow, they would also visit their parents for dinner again and Shizuo already wondered about the wonderful meal their mother would prepare for them this year around.

 

Time flew by a bit to fast to his liking and soon they were already exchanging their goodbyes for the night. His brother offered him a lift to his apartment, but he refused. He felt like taking a nice walk anyway.

 

Homebound, he wandered through the busy, decorated streets of Ikebukuro and as he eyed the countless festivities, he thought about last year’s Christmas.

It wasn’t really much of a religious thing here in Ikebukuro, but the city was always adorned nicely with colourful lights, Christmas trees and other warm, festive displays for at least a couple of days. Most people just enjoyed special dishes on the day itself and some also participated in giving each other presents.

  
Shizuo liked that part the most, personally.

  
It was the perfect way to express his gratitude to the people whom he could truly call his friends. Despite his sometimes reckless behaviour, they stood by him time and time again. He couldn't even begin to explain how much he appreciated that...

He stopped for a moment when he passed by a particularly entertaining street artist, amusing a little crowd with the swinging tunes of his saxophone.  
After he finished his song, everyone gave a little applause and cheered for more. It made Shizuo smile.

  
He glanced at the time on his elegant watch that Tom had gifted him last year, saying that was the only thing he still needed to make girls flock to him.

  
Shizuo had just laughed it off. The only girls that had ever really ‘flocked’ to him were Akane and Vorona and well, they were a _special_ kind of female, he supposed.

  
He still saw Akane every now and then, often with Mairu and Kururi since they were Dojo-buddies or whatever they called themselves. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be too influenced by the twins, although they themselves had matured as well.

  
If only a little bit.

 

Vorona however, he hadn’t seen in a long time.

  
She had returned to Russia shortly after the crazy night that took place one and a half years ago.

They still sent letters to each other every now and then, though, which usually contained some small talk about what was happening from day to day. She said she planned to return once she was done with her business back home, but Shizuo was starting to doubt it.

  
Maybe she just belonged over there, after all…

Before she left, she had explained to him what exactly she was, no longer wanting to hide the information from him.

  
He thought she was joking, at first. This petite blond girl in front of him was supposed to be some A+ assassin that had killed dozens of people?

Yeah right.

  
Okay, she was really good at kicking ass, but still… It wasn’t until she explained the whole story in which she had ran away from her father, been hired to kidnap Akane among a bunch of other things that he actually believed her.

 

Still, despite all that she'd done, he couldn’t find it in his heart to resent her.

  
He liked having a disciple that looked up to him.

  
He missed her...

  
In the end, she had almost sacrificed herself for him, not to mention stopping him from becoming a murderer.

Thinking back to that moment, he was still glad she hadn’t killed Izaya that night, even if she already was a murderer like she claimed to be.

  
Witnessing one of his friends killing someone in front of his eyes… he would never want such a thing.

 

 

It was already past eight now as he walked on, the sky was since long dark and cold winds cut past his ears, cigarette smoke swaying away in twirls.  
He didn’t care much for the cold though, it was like he was a natural stove or something.

Another biological supremacy he possessed, as a certain doctor would say.

  
He watched the cars pass him by, their lights not as piercing to his eyes than they would be if he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses.  
He then realized he still had them on, even though it was already dark.

He realized that he must look pretty silly…

 

Just as he moved a hand to take them off, he froze as his nose caught a peculiar smell in the air.

Before he could really focus on it though, his attention shifted to a moving blur in the distance.

  
A blur that soon shifted into the form of a person running towards him at an alarming pace, making Shizuo stop in his tracks, a bit startled.  
The person, a man as he could see now, soon did the same, _once_ he laid eyes on the blonde’s form anyway, nearly toppling over in the process of suddenly halting.

Shizuo was about to ask if the guy was all right but was unable to speak once he looked at the man’s face.

  
On it, a mask that waved elegantly across his right cheek and over the top of his nose, to end at the other side of his forehead, hidden partly by black bangs.  
But it wasn’t the mask that got Shizuo’s attention.

It was his eyes.

 

Wide.

 

Shocked.

 

And _Red._

 

  
Seconds passed by in stagnant silence as the two stared at each other, his cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth as it hung half open.

  
Suddenly, their trance was interrupted by shouts he heard from behind the man, who’s attention seemed shifted now as well, but only for a split second, before he was focused on Shizuo again.

He watched the man’s shaking irises flick around violently some more, waging and doubtful.

  
First to the row of buildings next to them, then back to Shizuo’s face again, then to the busy road at the other side.  
The man’s gaze lingered there for a moment too long to the blonde’s liking and in less than a second, the guy was off in said direction.

  
“Oi!” Shizuo couldn’t restrain his voice nor his hand from darting up after the man, shocked at what the guy had in mind of doing.

He kept himself back however and watched as the raven half sprinted, half danced between the lethal objects on the road.

  
It was like everything was happening in slow motion, but in reality, it was over in a matter of seconds, and just when Shizuo thought that last car was going to hit the man dead on, he made a calculated dodge roll over the car’s hood of which the impact ringed harshly throughout the air.

  
Shizuo could only stare as the man landed on his feet as agile as a cat and started sprinting away again.

 

‘What the hell just happened.’ was the first thought that ran through his mind.

 

“Holy shit, did you see that?” A rough voice came up a couple of meters away as others soon joined in.

  
“Damn, I didn’t know we were that scary.”

  
“Eh, whatever, we’ll find something else to play with, let’s go boys!”

  
The bunch of ruffians walked away, mumbling some more slurred things to each other.

Shizuo realized that the masked man must’ve been running away from them, until he confronted himself, that was.

  
At first he had thought that it was some random guy he had thrown through the air once, and was now scared shitless just at the sight of him.

 

But he couldn’t deny himself the truth of those eyes.

 

There was only one person he knew whom held such a fiery red within them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t until he had hastily locked the door behind him that Izaya finally relaxed, his back leaning shakily against the door.

  
After slightly calming down, he steadily walked over to his office chair, slumped down into it, giving his legs their well-deserved rest.

  
Still breathing harshly from overexerting himself, he focused on breathing deeper and slower. After a while the adrenaline’s effects were fading and he realized just how exhausted he was.  
Never mind the sticky feeling of sweat lingering on his now cooling skin.

  
‘Disgusting.’

He put his head in his hands, thinking about what just happened.

 

He had been so stupid.

He had been so fucking _stupid._

 

His irrational fear of facing Shizuo again had blinded him to the cost of his own safety.

  
Why did he run into traffic like that?

  
He should have just turned around, he would’ve easily dodged those drunk idiots from before.

“Fuck” he muttered to himself hoarsely.

He sighed dramatically, got up and decided to take a shower. He would have to assess the damage from his ‘car stunt’ anyway.

  
As he made his way to the bathroom, he felt a familiar pain stinging in his lower back with every step. He must've overdone it this time, it’s not like his body is able to sustain such activities anymore without...consequences.

The water was incredibly refreshing though, streaming down his pale skin and washing away more than just dirt and sweat.

It also helped to clean his mind to a certain extent.

  
The damage turned out to be less bad than he thought, although his arm was already discolouring slightly.  
He rubbed it in with some herbal ointment, however little it would help to calm the contusion.

Getting the event out of head was turning out to be a real challenge to his mind.

Luckily, he had been thoughtful enough of getting rid of Akai’s phone while he was running here. After transmitting all the data to his own device, he had smashed it with his foot harshly a couple of times before throwing it deep down into the sewer system.

  
It could have had a tracker on it, after all. He sure as hell didn’t want to lure this villain to his own home.

 

His mind drifted to a certain blond bodyguard again.

 

Why the hell had Shizuo even been there? He kept bumping into him, like fate was mocking him…

But more importantly, why had he himself been so scared at just the mere sight of him?

Again?

 

He couldn’t even rationally push the fear away when it struck him. It had been overwhelming, unstoppable, paralyzing him on the spot and thus stealing away all his control he so desperately clung to.

When he thought back to that moment now, he tried remembering the look on his rival’s face.

 

Had it been…surprise?

 

But did that mean Shizuo had recognized him or not?

He wasn’t sure…

 

If he did, he was going to be in big trouble, there was no way Shizuo would keep quiet about it…

He would have to believe in the little cover his mask provided for now, and also the fact that Shizuo hadn’t seen him in a long time.

 

He needed to focus on his mission now.

 

After redressing into something comfortable, Izaya returned to the living room, made himself some green tea and flipped open his phone to send a quick message to a certain courier to plan their next meeting.

  
He was going to have a lot of news to share, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That same day, Shinra came home from a late emergency call.

Some dumbass had to mess with the Awakusu-kai again and one of Shiki's men had gotten a nasty stab wound in the shoulder.

Oh well, nothing he couldn’t fix.  
It was merely routine for him.

 

Yawning, he entered the living room where Celty was waiting for him at the dinner table. She appeared calm and patient, but Shinra could read her well.

She was enthusiastic over something.

Then a delicious smell attacked his senses and Shinra’s eyes lit up at the steaming dish he spotted at the other end of the table.

“Oh, Celty, what’s this?” he exclaimed happily as he immediately sat down in front of it, eyeing the food like a starved dog.  
He proceeded to take a long sniff at the fumes that the dish emitted, followed up by a hum.

  
[Stop drooling and eat it already!] Celty commanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest while Shinra dug in like a madman.

“Ah, you really didn’t have to do this, Celty.” He said in between slurps and munches.

 

Celty just waved her hand around.

[It was nothing.] came the understatement, yet she proudly watched Shinra devour the dish she made with love.

 

The ring of the doorbell stumped them both out of their little daze. 

 

Celty typed a quick [I’ll get it.] to Shinra who muffled a ‘Thanks’ in response.

 

He wondered who it was at this late hour as he glanced towards the clock.

But he could definitely think of a few people...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo didn’t know for exactly how long he had stood staring at the empty path between the scattered vehicles now.

But he was sure he was starting to look like a complete idiot.

 

He also _still_ had his sunglasses on...

 

He absent-mindedly acknowledged two drivers yelling at each other much like monkeys fighting at the zoo would.

  
“Why the fuck did you brake that hard? Look at my fucking car! LOOK AT IT!”

“This crazy lunatic ran into the road like a fucking rabbit OK? HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO REACT?”

“Oh yeah?! Then where’s this looney now HUH?”

“I-I don’t know! Fuck, I can’t fucking pay for this shit...”

 

“All right gentleman, please settle down so we can sort this mess out and get the road open again.”

 

The traffic police had already arrived, it seemed. Luckily too, because that one guy with the dented hood looked like he might go and kill somebody.

 

Shizuo did a quick scan over the situation in front of him.

  
It was a miracle only one collision had occurred. Several cars were scrawled diagonally and out of place over the streets, braking marks marred the tarmac here and there…  
Many people were stirred up at what just happened and he saw some young woman looking anxious as she did her story to the police.

Ah, she was the driver of the car that the Flea had rolled over in an attempt to prevent getting splattered like the bug he was.

 

‘That’s right.’ he realized again.

 

That had been the Flea.

 

That had been Izaya, running over a four-lane speedway like a crazed person.

 

It seemed to surreal to be true.

 

Pulling out a new cigarette, he decided to get moving before someone started asking _him_ questions about what happened here.

As he walked away, he still couldn’t believe what he just had witnessed.

 

Several questions ran through his mind at the same time, causing his head to spin a bit.

Why was Izaya there? Why was he wearing that funny mask? Why had he been so _afraid?_

 

Of all the things expressions he had seen on Izaya, he had never seen fear, and certainly not directed at him.

 

It made no sense.

 

But that really had been him, hadn’t it?

Yes, he was sure, even without the stupid fur trimmed coat and with that weird mask on, he would recognize those bloodstained eyes anywhere.

It had been the Flea.

He was alive.

Izaya was _alive._

 

As the weight as those words fell upon him, he realized he was feeling something akin to relief between all the raging emotions in his head.

Ever since that night, ever since Izaya had disappeared, he never knew if he had survived or not.  
He never knew if he and Vorona had actually caused his death.

That uncertainty had caused him countless nights of tainted sleep as well as too many stressful conversations with people questioning the events of that night.

_“Hey, is it true? Did you really kill Izaya?”_

_“It was you who ended that scumbag right? Let me buy you a drink, mate!”_

 

No matter who it was or whether it was praise or denial of his deeds, it always ended with him going over the edge and soon, nobody dared bring up the incident around him again.

 

He talked about it with Celty a couple of times, though.  
With her, he was able to keep calm a lot easier. She told him how she had closed off Izaya’s wounds with her shadows, how she had tried to help him survive but she herself wasn’t sure if he actually had.

  
It had left Shizuo with an awful feeling underneath his ribs, no matter how many times Celty tried telling him that it hadn't been his fault, that Izaya had brought it all on himself.

One time he even mentioned something about it to her and Shinra after having dinner at their place. He remembered just blurting out the question.

 

_“Hey, do you guys think he’s out there somewhere, still breathing?”_

 

They immediately had known who he meant.

Shinra had simply answered with a meek _“Oh, don’t worry about it, he’s like a weed y’know.”_ before forcefully changing the subject.

 

Even if there was truth behind them, the doctor’s words hadn’t been soothing to his conscience at all.

He hadn’t dared asking Izaya’s sisters about it either. Not after he had been the one to beat up their brother to a state of near death…

 

So now, for a moment, he succumbed to the blissful feeling of knowing that the Flea was alive.

That he wasn’t a murderer.

He wasn’t a _murderer._

 

A giant weight has just fallen off his shoulders.

The feeling didn’t last long, however, as he soon remembered what had just transpired.

  
If Izaya was here, that meant trouble.

 

The familiar feeling of hate and distrust pulsed through his lungs like the cigarette's smoke and suddenly, he was running.

His legs already seemed to know where to take him...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shizuo? What’s going on?]

Celty held up her PDA at him, surprised at his exhausted appearance.

The blond was still panting a bit from running all the way here, holding up a hand to let her know he was fine.

 

“I need to talk with you.” he then spoke with a serious glint in his eyes.

Celty gave him her version of a nod and motioned him inside.

 

There, he spotted Shinra eating greedily and gave him a small wave as a greeting.  
The other looked up at him, cheerful as he always was.

“Ah, Shizuo-kun! What brings you here on this beautiful Christmas evening?” He replied, his face half covered in soy sauce.

Celty tensed up at the sight, and immediately threw a towel at him, hitting the doctor square in the face.

[Clean yourself before speaking, idiot.] she showed her PDA at him, even though Shinra couldn’t see it.

 

Shizuo had to smile fondly at the couple and their typical bickering and almost forgot why he had come here.

Almost.

 

[So, what is it you wanted to talk about?] Celty asked after she sat down at the table next to her beloved.  
She ignored said person’s cries of “Celty, you’re so mean to me! Don’t you want to clean my face for me?” and muffled the towel in Shinra’s face with her hand some more while intently focused on what the blond in front of her had to say.

“Uh, right.” Shizuo muttered as he sat down in front of the two lovebirds.

 

“Well, this might be hard to believe but... I think I just saw the Flea.”

Both Celty and Shinra stopped goofing around at the end of his sentence.

  
“Flea?” Shinra was the first to react “Oh, you mean Orihara-kun right? Nah, that’s impossible-

“I’m sure it was him.” Shizuo interrupted, resolutely.

 

The doctor cringed a bit at the seriousness in Shizuo’s tone and glanced at his love who was a little tensed up.

‘Oh crap Oh crap Oh crap’ was the tantrum in her mind, unbeknownst to the blond.

Suddenly, she started typing hastily.  
[How are you so sure? Did something happen?]

Shizuo gave a sigh. “I was walking back home from dinner with Kasuka, when suddenly he came running up to me and froze as soon as he saw me, next thing I knew he ran into traffic like a lunatic…”

[What?! Was he okay?] Celty responded almost immediately.

 

The two men beside her were both surprised at her outburst of concern.

 

“Uhm, yeah he nearly dodged all the cars so...”

[NEARLY?!] Celty’s PDA was way too close to the blonde’s face now.

“He dodge rolled over one, but he just landed on his feet and started running again, so he’s probably fine, OK?” He half growled out.

 

Finally, Celty seemed to relax a bit.

 

“Still, that sounds like a highly irrational thing for Orihara-kun to do…” Shinra muttered in response to his story, frowning.  
“Are you really sure it was him?”

Shizuo gave another low growl and Shinra was glad he hadn’t served him a drink yet. The glass would’ve surely been shattered already.

“He might’ve been wearing a stupid mask for I don’t know what reason but he was pale, scrawny and besides,” Shizuo pressed on. “Nobody else has eyes like that…” he finished in a softer tone, glancing away.

‘And nobody else has that _stench_ around them either.’ his mind added.

 

“Why would he even run into traffic like that?” Shinra kept questioning.

“He was being chased by some random guys, I don’t know what for but apparently, he was scared shitless just by the sight of me, so he took his chances with jumping in front of moving cars, I guess…”

  
Shizuo didn’t know how to feel as he said those words.

He had people running away from him before, but they never had to choose between him, a bunch of old drunks and a busy traffic road. He liked to think he was the lesser evil of those three.

Shinra and Celty shared ‘a look’ and engaged in what Shizuo thought was telepathic communication, much to his annoyance.

His friends were hiding something from him and he didn’t understand why.

If they knew something about the Flea, why would they keep that knowledge from him?  
Well… except from wanting to prevent him from going on a rampage through the city again, that was.

 

From all the events in the past, Shizuo had learned his lesson regarding Izaya.  
Anything bad or suspicious that had happened in the city always had to do with the Flea in some way.

And since he had been gone the city had become a lot quieter, more peaceful.

There was a certain _balance_ to things now.

Shizuo’s eyes narrowed as his knuckles turned white from strain.

He really didn't want that balance to be disturbed.

 

Celty turned to Shizuo again after a small ‘nod’ to Shinra, typing rather slowly.

[I really don’t want to hide things from you…] she started cautiously.  
[So I can tell you what I know, but you need to promise to stay calm, alright?]

 

Silent seconds drove by before the blond finally gave a single yet determined nod.

Whatever they had to share with him, he wasn’t going to get angry.

He made that promise with himself.

 

Celty visibly relaxed and Shinra’s eyes softened at her in empathy.

[It’s true, Izaya is back in Tokyo.] She began, not missing the further narrowing of the blonde’s eyes.

[But! And I know this sounds crazy, it’s for a good cause this time!] She followed up quickly.

 

Of course, Shizuo didn’t buy it for one second.

“How long has he been back?” he asked immediately.

Celty just shook her head in response.

[I’m not sure myself… He was in Russia all this time, apparently.]

 

‘Russia?’ Shizuo didn’t really understand, but that wasn’t important now.

 

“What do you mean, ‘A good cause’?” The tone of contempt leaked through his voice.

Like he could ever associate Izaya with anything _good._

[He’s investigating someone who could be dangerous to the city.] She explained further.  
[It’s some sort of… terrorist I guess? We’re not sure yet, but he’s planning something with explosives, in any case.]

 

He couldn’t help but look bewildered at that.

 

“A terrorist… in Ikebukuro?” The words sounded incredulous as he spoke them.

Shinra nodded at him in confirmation as he fumbled with his glasses. “Ah, well he might also just have a certain target… Orihara-kun might’ve already found out more…” he added in.

Shizuo’s mind was running awry. Why would anyone want to bomb this city? And why the hell would the Flea of all people want to help prevent that?

‘He would be watching everything from behind the curtains with that big annoying smirk on his stupid face.’ He thought, annoyed.

Celty seemed to sense what he was thinking, however.

[Look, he even showed me some proof of this person purchasing suspicious amounts of illegal…things…]  
She didn’t really know how to put it, this stuff wasn’t in her game. She shook her head in frustration.

 

[I really don’t think he’s lying, Shizuo.] she concluded.

 

Mocha eyes were still as hard as stone, but contemplating.

 

[He asked me for help, actual genuine help.] Celty added after a moment of silence.

 

Somehow, as he read that sentence, it struck a nerve in Shizuo.

 

“This is Izaya we’re talking about. You really think he would just ask for help, without any underlying motive? You truly believe that?” He started, his voice slightly angry.

“I didn’t trust him at first either, Shizuo-kun, I still don’t.” Shinra intercepted then, voice serious and defending.

“But I trust in Celty.” He said as he looked at her, eyes warm.

“She truly believes there’s something different about him now… even if she’s only met with him once since he’s back…” He trailed off.

 

For a moment, Shizuo was at a loss for words.

The Flea did look slightly different, now that he thought about it.  
It had actually been the first time Izaya had looked at him without that fucking annoying smirk marring his face, but it wasn’t like the one he had pulled now was any better.

 

He hated to admit it, but deep down, something had felt painful seeing that expression of fear on Izaya’s face pointed at him.

 

After all, he had been the one man who was never afraid of challenging Shizuo.

If anything, Izaya had always acted superior.  
Like he was the one who was the strongest, like he was always the one in control of the fight.

 

‘But in the end, he wasn’t.’ his mind whispered to him.

 

“Speaking of the devil…” Shinra remarked as he glanced at Celty’s PDA that beeped with a new message.

“That him?” Shizuo asked, frowning at the screen.

Celty gave a nod of confirmation while already typing a response.

 

“Well, at least know we know he’s still alive from his little crossing incident, right?” Shinra added gleefully. Celty gave him a little elbow kick in the stomach in response.

“Where is he staying then?” Shizuo asked, surprising her with the question.  
If the Flea was back in the city, he at least wanted to know _where_ he would be.

[He didn’t say…] came the disappointing response.

“He’s probably laying low,” Shinra remarked “After all, only us three know that’s he’s back.”

Shizuo looked slightly confused at that.

 

“Think about it.” Shinra continued, pointing up a finger “Even if you couldn’t directly see or feel it, Orihara-kun’s presence was always there in the city, and if you were up to something, he would know it.”

‘No shit.’ Shizuo thought, teeth grinding at the memories of getting tricked again and again by that bastard.

“But when he disappeared, no one took his place…”  
The doctor continued as he lowered his eyes to the table.

“The Awakusu-kai keeps the control quite well around here, but they’re not equipped to track every suspicious thing that happens…” he concluded.

 

Shizuo furrowed his brows, thinking about Shinra’s words and soon the pieces fell together.

 

“So, this ‘terrorist’ probably thinks the Flea’s been long gone and that nobody even has a clue of what he’s planning?” he responded half questioningly.

“Exactly!” Shinra exclaimed. Celty nodded in agreement.

“So you see Shizuo-kun, it’s very important that you keep this information to yourself, even if you’re suspicious of him.” he added with a wink.

 

Shizuo grimaced but couldn’t help but sigh in defeat.

“Fine… as long as he doesn’t mess with me or anyone around me, for that matter.” He said sternly.

 

‘Damn Flea…’

 

“So, are you going to see him again?” Shinra asked Celty then, who quickly responded.

[Yep, day after tomorrow, same place as last time.]

Shinra gave a little laugh “I swear, Orihara-kun has a thing for abandoned buildings...”

 

Shizuo, in turn, was oddly silent and just stared at the table for a moment.

All of this was weird, honestly.

He was expected to believe that Izaya was helping the city against some sort of crazy terrorist bomber.

He was expected to believe that Izaya was on the good side of the city now.

At _his_ side.

 

“So, what am I supposed to do in all this?” he asked his friends sincerely.

They shared another one of their magical mind-reading glances and Shinra just dropped a casual “Just keep quiet about it I guess?”

“I know that, but anything else?” Shizuo felt a wave of frustration come over him.

“I want to protect this city too! Like hell I’m going to let some guy blow things up and endanger my friends!” He exclaimed roughly, nearly slamming his fist into the table until he realized he would probably break it in half.

[I know, Shizuo...] Celty responded quickly, trying to calm him down.

[But we need to be patient… If you want, I can keep you updated as well?]

 

Shizuo was just about to open his mouth to form a response but Shinra beat him to it.

 

“What if he joins you tomorrow in your little meeting?” Shinra asked Celty with an innocent smile.

The sudden burst of smoke rising from her neck made it pretty clear that she thought that was a really, _really_ bad idea.

Shizuo looked at Shinra with just as much of a perplexed stature.

“What? You don’t trust him, I don’t trust him and basically there would be no good reason why you shouldn’t meet up in the ‘Save Ikebukuro from the bombing man’- team meeting right?” the doctor continued, now addressing the blond.

 

Shinra made it sound like it was a walk in the park.

Except with him and Izaya together, there would be no walking, more like running, throwing, dodging and the park would be completely _obliterated_.

 

[I don’t think that’s a good idea, Shinra.] Celty made clear, as if her reaction hadn't made that obvious already.

[I don’t want to betray his trust in me and I already kind off did for telling Shizuo all of this!] she held up defiantly.

“Celty…” Shinra responded, amazed by her loyalty.

  
Even to someone like Izaya, who had tricked and played her like a pawn... She would still treat him like any other human in need of help.

 

[Besides, if what Shizuo said was true, then I don’t think Izaya should see him right now…] she added carefully.

 

Shinra seemed to contemplate that, accepting it with a “Fine” as he held up his hands in defeat.

 

They left the conversation at that.

Shizuo, satisfied with being kept ‘up to date’ for now, bid his friends goodnight and made his way home, thoughts on the whole thing still filling his head.

At least things were a bit clearer now.

A _bit_.

 

 

When he finally arrived at his apartment’s front door, he suddenly got a message.

Surprise marred his face once again at as he read it, before putting on an mischievous smile.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I focused a lot on Shizuo this chapter and there was lots of talking so I hope you guys didn't find it too boring ;)
> 
> Thank you all again for the comments and kudos! I'm honestly surprised how many people like this story :D It's a really good boost during my exams, haha.
> 
> Cheers


	5. The Lions And The Lambs Aren’t Sleeping Yet

 

 

Izaya woke when the sun was already out and shining.

Its bright golden waves washed over his blankets, the warmth seeping into them.  


Despite feeling like he hadn’t gotten enough rest yet, he pushed himself on his sore feet and stifled a yawn.

 

He examined his arm in the bathroom mirror again and concluded that the bruise had worsened, as expected. Moving it around caused only little pain, thankfully. The skin had turned a dark purple, almost appearing black in contrast to the rest of his skin which was nearly as pale as porcelain.

He supposed there were advantages to having a bunch of metal stuck to your bones, it must’ve reduced the damage.  
_Some_ method of damage reduction that was, he mused.

He rubbed in the bruise with some more ointment, continued his morning routine by making himself some coffee and then turned to his investigation again.  
In the back of his mind, he knew he should probably eat something proper soon, since he skipped dinner yesterday evening.

But first, he had to concentrate on analysing the files he had acquired from Akai’s phone.  
Izaya internally did a slow clap at the fact that a password had been put on opening them, at least.

Cracking passwords was as easy as cutting through butter for him though.

After inspecting and studying for hours on end, he decided to take a break.

He twirled his office chair around and faced the window, trying to find something interesting to stare at, to think of, to interact with in some way.  
Anything to get his thoughts off of yesterday’s events.

 

Why was that so hard?

 

One part of him wanted to think about it, confront it, and yet another part would stubbornly resist.

He was vaguely aware that the stubborn part was his old self still breaking through.

Then again, it wasn’t like he was someone else now.

He was still just him.

Just… different.

 

Getting up, he flicked on the radio as he decided to make himself a tuna sandwich. The rumbling of his intestines was starting to annoy him, after all.  
As he bit down on the soft bread, he couldn't refrain a little moan from finally tasting something decent again. He gave himself a mental pat on the back at having that food delivered yesterday.

He rolled his eyes as some overplayed Christmas song rang across the room.

It was only natural though, since it _was_ Christmas today, so every frequency would probably be filled with them.  
It did nothing to enlighten his mood though, however cheerful the music was.

In general, he never really listened to the radio much. It was something of a habit he had picked up in Russia, due to Manami.

It was one of her tactics to make Izaya stop sulking back then.

  
One time, she had put on the radio, crossed her arms in front of her chest like she was going to lecture him and just commanded him to play the song that was currently being transmitted.

  
It was the first time Izaya had laughed genuinely at her since his incident. She had looked so surprised, but her face had soon contorted in irritation and before he knew it, she had nearly smacked him across the head.

 _“I’m serious, you numbskull!”_ She had yelled.

And thus, ever so often, Manami requested a song from Izaya that he’d heard on the radio.

It wasn’t as horrible as it seemed, most of the time he could still pick the songs himself, figure out the chords on his piano and just play.

Just _play._

 

The second time that Manami had looked so utterly surprised was when he added his voice to the sounds his fingers made.  
Izaya wasn’t particularly skilled at singing per se, it was just another natural thing for him.

He remembered the look on her face when he finished that song. She could only stare at him like she had seen a flying cow.

_“Izaya, that… that was beautiful!”_

 

‘Hah, such a silly girl’ He thought now.

  
She would sometimes sing along with him after that, much to his dismay.

She couldn’t keep her voice in tune for shit.

 

At Kine’s birthday, they had sung him the typical happy birthday song. They had never seen the bald man look so flustered.

 

Izaya let a smile cover his face.

To think that he would ever create such fond memories.

His smile faltered as quickly as it came when the bitter realization that he was alone downed on him again.

It was just him here.

And his friends were miles and miles away.

 

It made him doubt himself as to why he came here again.

A lonely place he once called home.

Surrounded by his enemies.

No-one he could really trust, except for the headless woman he once labelled a monster.

 

Well, perhaps she still was, but not in the same way as he saw her then.

No, not the same.

 

In truth, he had been the real monster, hadn’t he?

 

Feeling frustrated with himself again, he zapped the radio off.

He stood there for a while, staring at the thing like it was going to tell him to turn it back on again.

Somehow, the lack of sound just made everything feel that much more empty.

 

In no time, he was behind his piano again, his fingers aching to play.

Soon enough, his apartment was enwrapped with resonating sounds that reached highs as well as lows.

 

He felt his movements become one with the music.

Then his heart.

Then his mind.

 

It was time to face himself again. 

To face the thoughts that were running through his mind and veins like disease.

 

He visited the places he always tried to suppress.

To find the tangled areas, the errors.

The memories, the mistakes.

 

Suddenly, he found himself back on _that_ night again.

Standing on top of that building. Vicious words leaving his lips, burning his insides like wildfire as he received zero response on the other end of the phone.

The goodbye, devoid of emotion.

The decimating glare he received only moments later, the most convicting one he had ever witnessed.

The shadow that encased the sky, the same one that doused the flames, undoing the damage he had done, the damage he had inflicted.

The crash through glass, the unfelt lesions and fractured bones.

 

Then he was running. Running like he had never ran before and yet failing to outrun the one he had been able to outrun _every_ other time.

Objects blazing passed him, missing him by mere inches.

Rational fear never taking hold, the adrenaline keeping his body moving, the pain forgotten, nothing but pure excitement and expectancy entangling his system.

Vile. Deranged.

 

And then, his worst mistake.

The decision to run no longer, but to turn and face the bane of his existence.

To gamble himself in the battle between life and death. Odds far from being in his favour.

Eyes unchanging, unyielding.

 

The deadly dance of knives and fists.

 

Then came the bright flash.

The miscalculation.

The sound of bones breaking into a million pieces.

The riptide of pain, no longer blunted.

The glare of hot auburn, setting crimson a-flame.

The self-forsaken taunt leaving his bloodied lips.

 

Maniacal, masochistic, suicidal.

 

The unexpected stab in his side.

The betraying sentence that rung through the harsh silence.

The unmerciful stare. The gun’s eye, aimed at his face.

The acceptance of his demise.

Accepting death like it was nothing.  
Accepting it like just another miscalculation he made.

 

Izaya let his forehead collide with the hard, cold ridge of the instrument underneath him, his fingers no longer finding strength to push down on the keys.  
A choking sob ran through his body, unwelcome and filled with resistance. 

He tried so hard to view upon it all as nothing.

To _accept_ it all like it was nothing.

  
Yet somehow, he just couldn’t.

 

Somehow, Izaya felt like dying all over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somewhere else, some miles off, there was a solemn place.

  
A place illuminated with white and blue and green, mixing and blurring together in a bright mess against bland walls of concrete.

  
Fingers were tapping at fast speed against a keyboard, their user eliciting some of the numbers he was typing out loud in tiny murmurs.

  
Despite being obscured by many walls, his face shone bright against the lights of the screens in front of him, revealing his crooked smile.

  
“Soon.” came the calm voice.

  
“Soon you will all pay.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Achoo!”

  
The harsh sneeze reverberated throughout the still winter air, bouncing off the walls of the empty building. It was quickly followed by a snort and a sigh.

‘I fucking hate this wind.’ the raven’s mind repeated for the tenth time that night already.

 

Suddenly, a snow flock landed on the top of his nose, biting the skin with an icy sting. He quickly rubbed it off like it was a bug.

 

‘Can this get any worse?’

He really should’ve picked a building that _at least_ had a roof that was finished...

 

Yesterday evening, he had managed to somehow recompose himself from his little down-the-dark-hole musical trip.

He needed to refocus on his mission, after all.

 

He had done a little phone call to his ex-guardians though, that had cheered him up at least.

Even though it was at a nearby phone booth on the street, his friends had known it was him, and the loud "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" was undoubtedly as painful for his ear as it was for the bald man next to the loud vixen on the other end of the phone.

_“We’ll keep your presents till you’re back, like a motivation or something, or you know, maybe till when we come visit you over there hm?”_

“Idiots…” he murmured as he smiled at the conversation passing through his memory.

 

Up ahead, he heard the familiar sound of a horse neighing through the blanket of snow that had started cascading down.

It seemed to be no problem for Shooter though and soon enough Izaya was met with black and yellow once again.

 

He didn’t bother taking his hood and mask off this time, Celty knew it was him anyway and he preferred protecting his fragile skin against the cold touch of the current weather.

Celty came at him in hasty strides, which made his eyebrows dart up in confusion.

 

[YOU!] she began as Izaya stared with wide eyes.

[You better have a good explanation as to why running in front of speeding traffic is helping with this…this terrorist investigation!] she continued, albeit angrily.

 

Izaya was taken aback, unsure of what to respond.

 

“Uh, I…” he began before something clicked in his mind.

“Wait, where did you hear this?” he asked incredulously.

Celty seemed to still for a moment before tapping at her screen again.

[Shizuo told us…] She opted bluntly, making his eyes go wide in realization.

 

“So he did recognize me…” he half mumbled to himself, eyes dropping to the now snow-caked floor beneath.

 

That wasn’t good… that wasn’t good at all, his entire plan could be ruined because of this.

He felt his heart kicking against his ribs again as his mind got stiff with dismay.

 

Celty seemed to sense his discomfort and quickly intercepted with a wave of her hand.

[Don’t worry about it, he promised me he won’t tell anyone about the whole thing! We can trust him!] Her comment caught Izaya off guard, it made him chuckle pitifully for a moment.

Then he realized that she said ‘the whole thing'.

“Wait, you told him about the bombs?” he questioned worriedly. It was unlike Shizuo to keep quiet about his existence so near to his beloved town but it was simply impossible for him to trust Izaya when it came to things like this.

  
Things that had ‘Evil’ hanging above it in capital letters.

  
[He came to me and Shinra about you first, luckily… we tried to warp him off the idea of having seen you but it was no use. He was determined… so we explained the situation as it is.]

She made a little pause, appearing unsure before continuing again.

[I’m sorry if I broke your trust… I felt like I had no choice…] she added quickly, her posture appearing regretful.

“No, no, it’s alright.” He quickly intercepted.

 

First Celty was angry at him for endangering himself and now she was sorry for breaking his trust?

He _really_ didn’t deserve such empathy, not from her...

 

“It’s my own fault anyway…”

 

It was true. He had slipped up.

Horribly so, even. He could’ve easily not made it across the street unscathed.

He could’ve gotten hit and badly injured, converted to being useless again.

He could’ve _died_ , even.

 

The whole thing should bother him more than it did, he thought.

But apparently his mind found Shizuo on himself to be more of a danger hazard than his near-suicide attempt.

 

[Are you alright?]

Suddenly, the PDA was in his face. He hadn’t realized he was staring at the ground again.

 

He really needed to get his mind back on track.

 

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” he responded as he rubbed his eyes a bit. A meek attempt to rise his concentration level.

Celty didn't seem convinced, but she didn't press it further.

 

[He said you were running from some people by the way…Did something happen?] She asked curiously.

“Ah, well” He furrowed his brows at the memory. “It was just a bunch of perverted drunks really…”

And just like that, Celty was ‘giggling’ at him.

 

He was a bit perplexed at her open display of amusement. Amusement at him getting chased by _perverts_ , even!

 

[I’m sorry!] she quickly held up as she tried to recompose herself. [It’s just that I could’ve never imagined such a scenario with you.]

He scoffed.

“I suppose not…” he answered with a little smile.

 

“By the way, are you really sure that we can trust _him_ though? I mean… we’re talking about the guy who despises me more than anyone else…” he asked her next, trying to stay emotionless in his voice.

“There’s no way he would trust me with something as threatening as a potential terrorist act.”

Celty was quick to reply.

[I promised to keep him updated in return for his silence.]

Izaya hummed suspiciously at that.

[I trust him. He won’t let me down.] she followed up confidently.

 

Izaya smiled at that before answering with a soft “That’s true, I guess.”

 

He had almost forgotten how close The Headless Rider and the ‘Monster’ of Ikebukuro were. He mentally praised their bond now.

If anything, Shizuo was exceptionally loyal.

 

Celty seemed a bit taken aback by how easily he agreed with her.

 

“In any case, I’ve got some news.” he started in a serious voice again.

“Though not all of it is good..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.’

  
Shizuo had not thought this through. Or had he? He wasn’t sure at all.

 

Even with his dreams being haunted by a certain black-clad individual, yesterday had been the typical quiet day he cherished so much.

He even got the day off of work, exchanged some gifts with his friends and had a fantastic time with his parents, his brother and Ruri. Everything had been jolly and merry, just how Christmas was supposed to be.

But now, the day afterwards, he was here, dressed in complete black, which was now a horrible camouflage in the dark of night as the white snowflakes stuck to his clothes like cat’s hair would.

He’d pick snuggling with Dokusonmaru over this shit any day, though.

He was no fucking ninja, dammit.

 

It was mostly Shinra’s fault though, why had he listened to him again?

 

_[Psst, Shizuo-kun. Look, you don’t trust Orihara-kun right? So how about we make a little deal between us?]_

Oh yeah, that’s why.

 

Two days ago, after their conversation regarding the Flea and the city’s ‘villain’, Shinra had texted him at his doorstep. He told him where and when Celty and Izaya would meet today, giving him the opportunity to eavesdrop and to make sure that Izaya was actually not just tricking Celty or something.

Because, as the underground doctor put it, Shizuo was apparently 'immune' to Izaya’s schemes and his coaxing words, being able to see through his façade.

He had been surprised at how Shinra so blatantly gave him the information, despite him supposedly being the Flea’s friend. Then again, Shinra was special in his own way and the most important thing to him was Celty's love...

She had been part of the Flea’s schemes plenty of times, so perhaps the doctor was just sick of his bullshit now as well.  
Much like Shizuo himself.

Besides, he wanted to protect Celty too.

 

So that’s why he was now here, hiding against the concrete wall that was near to where the Devil’s incarnation was waiting.  
He knew he was at the right place once he confirmed the familiar _stench_.

He suppressed a groan as he remembered the Flea’s stupid smirking face because of it, feeling the need to punch something rising within his blood.

‘No, no, no.’

He was going to control his anger. He owed that to himself as well as his friends.

 

When the loud sneeze ringed through the air however, he nearly shot out of his own skin.  
‘Get a hold of yourself, jeez...’ he thought to himself.

 

If either Izaya or Celty found out he was doing this, he wasn’t sure what the consequences would be. But it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.

 

He peeked through the gap in the wall where a window was supposed to be put later, trying to be as stealthy as possible.

Sure enough, he saw the familiar thin shape of the Flea standing there like a statue, now getting hit repeatedly by snowflakes that found their way through the unfinished roof of the construction complex.

It was odd seeing him in different clothes than his usual attire. Not to mention him pulling all kinds of annoyed faces that his mask couldn’t fully cover, the snow clearly annoying the shit out of him.

He then murmured something Shizuo didn’t quite catch, but the sincere smile that followed afterwards, he was not mentally prepared for.

Every time he thought of Izaya, he could only picture him with that full teethed smirk on his lips, as if he were standing on top of the world, with its reins in his hands.

But he found no trace of it now.

It was _unsettling,_ to saythe least.

 

Then, an echoing neigh caught Shizuo’s attention, and Celty arrived not long after the sound had resonated through the winter sky.

He watched with interest as the two figures conversed. Well, if you could call it a conversation with Celty’s PDA doing the talking for her.  
Shizuo soon figured out they were talking about his little encounter with Izaya, seeing how said person reacted.

Surprise, worry, frustration and countless other emotions were displayed during their one-to-one conversation.

 

He really wasn't used to them so openly on his Izaya's face...

 

Suddenly, Celty was shaking in a giggling motion when the Flea mentioned something about drunk perverts, his face all red and surprised at her reaction.

Shizuo couldn’t help but stare, confusing growing at the display.

Nothing made any sense.

 

Then Izaya exploited his worry over Shizuo’s silence and that he would never trust Izaya with this whole thing going on.

At least the Flea was on the same wavelength as him in that matter.

‘Of course I don’t trust you, you damn bastard!’ his thoughts grumbled.

 

Izaya was just lucky Celty trusted him and that Shizuo trusted Celty.

That’s all.

 

Damn, he could really use a cigarette right now.

 

Somehow, Celty was able to convince the Flea that he wouldn’t pose a problem. He was honestly surprised at how easily Izaya complied, but it was quickly brushed off as said person moved on with the topic that he had actually come for.

“In any case, I’ve got some news.” Izaya started in a serious voice.  
“Though not all of it is good..."

 

He then proceeded to explain that he discovered that the bombs had been built already, but he didn’t know where they had gone, not yet anyway.

Shizuo wondered where and how Izaya actually got this information, but then again he supposed the Flea had many ways.  
None of them clean, probably.

 

“I’ve confirmed that there are 5 bombs in total.” Izaya said next, continuing with dread in his voice. “Each of them is able to destroy an average seized building at the least.”

Shizuo blanched as he absorbed the information, probably as much as Celty did inwardly, she kept intently listening as well.

 

“Luckily for us, this guy has been rather negligent with his plans.” Izaya went on, taking out his phone as he did, looking for something as he tapped away at the screen.

“I was able to acquire data from one of his ‘sources’, let’s say.” He spoke, showing his screen to Celty as he continued. “It contained all the building instructions, designs, etcetera…. And this is where the good news comes in.”

He flicked the screen again.

“The bombs are meant to be detonated from a distance, probably by a central computer emitting the command since the bombs themselves lack a timing component.” He continued smoothly, voice confident.

“I know this, because the bombs each have a built in computer themselves, most likely needed to obtain the signal from the central computer and to start the combustion process.”

Izaya kept explaining on and on to Celty about the design of the bombs and it left Shizuo wondering how he suddenly knew all of this stuff. Sure, he was smart but that didn’t mean you automatically know _everything_.

Judging from the Flea’s tired eyes though, he might’ve just studied it all overnight. He was sure showing some dedication to something he had no gains from…

 

Unless he _did_ , of course.

 

He saw Celty type something in response.

“Why is that good news?” The Flea recited as he laughed a bit.

“Because if it runs on a computer, I can hack it.” Izaya announced, a bit prideful and his typical smirk lining his lips.

 

It nearly made Shizuo growl out loud.

 

“I’m still working on that, though but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to manage it... although I might need some _parts_.” Izaya emphasized.  
“But the problem with that is, It’ll probably be hard to go and fetch them myself sooo…” he dragged on.

 

Celty put her hands on her hips, obviously getting the hint Izaya was presenting.

She sighed, before responding with a message that must’ve been positive since Izaya’s eyes lit up and he spoke a generous thanks.

“I’ll pay you for the service, It’ll be a bit like the old days, no?” he added with a meek smile.

 

Celty seemed really happy at those words.

 

“In any case, I still need to find the bombs themselves.” the Flea continued with a sigh, eyes cast to the side.  
“I just hope we’ll be on time.” he continued as he looked up to the sky.

Celty seemed in deep thought for a moment, holding her hand against the chin of her helmet again. She held up her PDA once more.

“Hm, that would be very cliché but it might be possible…” Izaya said in response.

 

Shizuo then wished he knew what Celty had said, it really wasn’t easy following the conversation like this.

 

“That’s all I’ve got for now, in any case.” Izaya announced, giving a little shiver and rubbing off the snowflakes sticking to his hood.

Celty nodded, satisfied with the exchange before mounting Shooter.

 

“I’ll send you the details for the parts later.” He gave her a little farewell wink that made Shizuo’s eye twitch before making his getaway through the backside of the building, jumping through another window gap like the feline he was.

Shizuo watched him go with narrowed eyes, staring at the spot where he vanished through for a while.

 

Should he track Izaya? See where he was staying?

 

He didn’t notice the pair of invisible eyes staring him down behind him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As he wove his way through familiar alleys and backstreets, Izaya’s phone suddenly gave a buzz.

He stopped for a moment and blended in with the shadows against the walls, his eyes stuck to the message sent to him from his very own computer.

He smiled in surprise, his programs had surpassed his expectations and were done locating the central computer he knew existed somewhere.  
He immediately moved to the coordinates displayed on his screen. It wasn’t even that far away, he noted curiously.

After 20 minutes of skipping over rooftops and sidelines as if he had wings, he arrived at an old block of houses.

In the middle, a rather large building stood.

An orphanage, extremely old and thus, abandoned for a long time, the playground in front of it also quite neglected. The wooden slide was rotting and the swing’s cables creaked horribly with the wind.

He sneaked his way to the giant structure, evading the moonlight's glow as best as he could.

He entered through a broken side window, careful with his steps. It was eerily quiet inside so every little sound would be noticed. As he made his way through the old spacious halls, he noted the spider webs filling every corner, gathering nothing but dust.

 

A sudden clang of something hard falling on the floor somewhere to his right startled him as he crouched against the wall in response.

 

He glanced inside the room from which the sound had come, seeing an old metal cup rolling across the tiled floor. His eyes went up to the table on which the perpetrator sat, slit eyes regarding him quietly.

 

The black cat looked at him mischievously, like it was mocking him before it downright hissed at him, teeth bare and ears flat against its head.

Offended, Izaya hissed back rather harshly himself, surprising the feline as it was taken aback. It quickly scooted away with a dissatisfied mewl.

‘Fucking cat...’ Izaya thought, annoyed as he continued his way through the empty halls, his every step echoing slightly all the way through.

‘Well, at least it wasn’t a dog.’

That would’ve ruined the entire operation for sure.

 

As he came across the entrance hall, he regarded the elegant staircase in awe for a moment. He soon noticed the footprints marring the dusted floor in front of him though, moving in a line from the giant front doors to another one next to the long wooden counter that stood in the centre of the room.

He opened the door cautiously, hinges creaking slightly as his eyes found steps leading downwards in the little light that was provided.

‘To the basement it is!’ his thoughts opted cheerfully.

 

Using his phone as a means of providing vision, he found his way to the underground floor. He immediately noticed the sound of something buzzing in the distance as his eyes fell to a door, set a little ajar, letting a string of light escape from the other side.

He peeked in, searching for a life form and listening intently for any kind of movement.

He found none.

 

Carefully entering the room, he let his eyes roam quickly over the large space, immediately noticing the set of monitors on a large desk to his right, sitting there in stand-by and providing the little light in the room.

‘My, my, right into the lion’s den...’ He thought, smirking for a moment.

 

He explored the space for a while, searching for anything that could pass for the bombs on the schemes.

The bombs that had been built.

The bombs that had been delivered.

And yet, he found nothing of the sort…

Some empty crates in the corner, some old blankets lying on the floor, a neatly installed power supply for the computer, but no explosive devices…

 

He returned his attention to the screens and eyed the safeguarding system sitting there nicely on the desk, made for keeping sniffing dogs like himself out.  
It hadn’t been good enough though.

 

‘Technology is really scary sometimes.’ 

 

He bumped his hand against the mouse, waking up the computer. The screens started shining brightly, nearly blinding him. When he re-focused his eyes, he could see it was asking for a password.

Izaya pulled out his phone again, sending his computer in Shinjuku the command to override the system it had just hacked into. Soon enough, the screens changed color again in confirmation of his access and countless data was displayed in front of his eyes.

On one of the screens, he spotted the familiar plans and construction schemes.

On another, an interactive map of Ikebukuro itself, although he remarked nothing special on it.

On the middle screen however, was the very thing Celty had predicted just moments before.

 

There, in the top right were a line of digits, counting down to the moment that was obviously meant for the explosions to go off.

 

And that moment was when the new year would begin.

 

Slightly perplexed at the good prediction Celty made, Izaya stared at the digits for a bit longer before regaining his senses. He was in dangerous territory right now. There was no time to lose.

  
He plugged in one of his USB sticks, transmitting all the data he could find into his own hands. He checked the times that the computer had been accessed as well and was disappointed to see It was highly irregular.

Sometimes the system wouldn't be accessed from days on end…

 

If he had certainty that the guy would come back here today, he could just wait him out… ambush him and finish it all here.

But there was no validity of his return, and Izaya cursed for not having some bugs or cameras on him.

 

Slightly annoyed, he put the stick into his pocket and gave the room one more swap with his eyes before leaving in silence, careful not to leave any traces behind.

‘It’s better like this anyway...’ he thought.

 

In the end, he would just beat this guy at his own game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the neigh of a certain horse, Shizuo turned around to the sight of a yellow helmet and crossed arms.

His eyes went wide for a moment. He clearly hadn’t heard Celty sneaking up behind him.

 

“Oh, Celty! How nice to see you out this evening!” he started as he sprung upright, using an over cheerful attitude to mask the fact he had just been _spying_ on her on Izaya.

“I was just enjoying a nice walk out in the snow.” he continued, pointing around at the snow as if Celty hadn’t seen it before.

 

Shooter neighed disbelievingly next to her as if to scoff at Shizuo’s poor attempt at a cover up, and gave a few pulls with his hoof at the ground.

 

Celty knew that lying really wasn’t one of Shizuo's strong points, but still… that was just horrible.

 

[Shinra put you up to this, didn’t he?] she just put up. Shizuo immediately sighed in surrender.

“He proposed it, yes.” He admitted. “It’s not like he _made_ me, so don’t get too mad at him, alright?” he continued as he roamed a hand through his blond locks before lighting a cigarette.

[I suppose it’s no surprise… I don’t think Izaya noticed you though, so it’s fine...] Celty replied. Shizuo appeared relieved.

 

“I had to see and hear it for myself.” he then responded seriously, puffing the hot smoke into the icy air.

[And?] Celty questioned curiously.

Shizuo grumbled, obviously not wanting to talk about it much.  
He owed it to her now though.

 

“I suppose he’s sort of…. different.” he mumbled, unsure.

“Still don’t trust him though.” he added quickly, brows creased.

“He might as well be acting it all.”

 

Celty just shook her head at that.

She could see the obvious internal debate going on in her friend’s eyes though she figured she should probably let him sort it out by himself...

For now.

 

[Let’s go, I’ll give you a ride home.]

 

Shizuo gave a nod, putting out his cigarette before Celty made him a helmet out of her shadows.

 

She really hoped Izaya would find those bombs soon…

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't restrain from making Izaya hiss like a cat, maybe I'm too influenced by my own feline companions? Probably.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Please Don’t Forget What He Is, A Monster Who Designed The Fear

 

 

 

Russia Sushi hadn’t changed one bit.

  
Simon was just as much the same, his voice still carrying that heaviness that was oddly soothing, his Japanese still as awkward as ever.

  
_“Simon, I need a favor.”_

_“Ah, I-za-yaaa, I was wondering when we hear from you again, you should come eat sushi, it still good!”_

_“Oh, I intend to.”_

 

The black sushi chef had sounded like he knew Izaya was going to come along any moment now, as if he had never left the city in the first place. Still, the boisterous man had been a bit surprised to see his masked face at the back entrance of the sushi business.

Luckily, it was still rather calm for the evening so he had no trouble sneaking into the private booth he had reserved for him and his guests, whom were now sitting in front of him, eyeing him with suspicion.

 

“Alright, we’re here like you asked, now who are you and what do you want from us?” Kadota started sternly.

 

Izaya just put on a smirk as he removed his hood, watching the eyes in front of him go wide. Togusa even sprayed his just-served drink all over the table in disbelief.

 

“Why, so _guarded_ dota-chin.” he chirped casually as he proceeded to undo his mask.

 

He suddenly felt very naked to the gawking eyes in front of him, however.

Kadota recovered the fastest, however, face now adorned with a satisfied smirk as he chirped his next words.

“I knew it.”

 

Izaya’s gaze shifted to him again.

 

“I knew you were alive.” Kadota added in explanation.

His friends were stumped out of their daze at his words and turned to look at him.

“You knew!? Why didn’t you tell us?!” Erika started frantically.

“Oh no, not like that, I just had a hunch is all.” Kadota replied quickly to her before returning his eyes to Izaya’s.

 

“Must say I didn’t expect this though, but I suppose it’s good to see you in one piece.” he added with a smile.

“Likewise.” came Izaya's short answer, sporting a little smile of his own.

“Phew, we seriously thought you were a goner after we heard what happened…” Walker added in then, Erika hot on his tail “Yeah! Do you even know how worried Dota-chin was after you disappeared? Nobody knew if you were actually alive!”

“Stop calling me that, dammit! And no I wasn’t!” Kadota responded hotly, his face turning slightly red at Erika’s accusation that Walker backed up shortly, much to Kadota’s dismay.

 

Izaya couldn’t restrain the chuckle that escaped his throat.

They looked back to him then, a bit surprised at the display.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry It’s just… you guys haven’t changed one bit.” He explained, lips still curled up in mischief.

  
The others regarded him curiously.

“Well, can’t really say the same for you.” Kadota began again, but Togusa quickly got in before he could say anything more.

“So, what is it you want? It was you who sent us the message right? Asking if we still cared about this city?” came the stern question.

Izaya’s crimson eyes shifted to him.

 

“Are you here to start trouble again? Because we haven’t forgotten about all that, you know.” Togusa continued. Erika nodding beside him in agreement, eyebrows creased.

Walker and Kadota sat by silently, appearing surprised at their friend’s defensive words.

 

Izaya released a long sigh before putting up his hands in a display of surrender.

“I know I’ve made mistakes.” He spoke with a tell-tale voice. “I’m not here to deny them and neither am I here to ask for forgiveness.”

 

“I’m only here because I need your help.” He finished with a more serious tone.

 

They fell silent, exchanging glances between each other as if not sure whether to believe it or not.

 

“With what?” It was walker who responded first, voice curious.

“Yes, explain.” Erika followed up, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

 

So Izaya did his story, explaining it from top to bottom, using the schemes on his phone as he did. The others listened intently, eyes wide in both surprise and confusion.

 

“So the only piece of the puzzle that’s still missing is the bombs themselves...” he continued.  
“All I need you guys to do, is be available when it’s all about to go down, so we can neutralize the bombs before the timer goes off.” He regarded them sternly, one by one.

“This is highly secret information, so don’t saunter it around. As of now, this man, ‘Akai’, still doesn’t, or well, _shouldn’t_ know I’m actually looking into this.” He added.

 

“I see…” Kadota responded, still looking a bit flustered from the sudden information.

The others didn’t look any better except for Walker, who kept scrolling through the schemes on Izaya’s phone, a highly amused look on his face.

 

“Why?” The question was suddenly raised in the air by Togusa as all eyes flicked to him.

“Why would you of all people help the city like that? What would you gain from this?”

 

Then their eyes were pointed at him again, gazes curious.

 

So Izaya just gave them the reason he always gave everyone else.

 

“My, Togusa-san, you should know that by now already.” He said with a mischievous smile.

“It’s because I love humans, of course.”

 

It wasn’t exactly a lie but neither was it completely true. Izaya did love humanity, still.

But it never mattered to him before whether they actually lived or died, as long as he could observe them and see things unravel from the sidelines, he would be satisfied.

 

Togusa didn’t seem very convinced with his answer, but settled for it as Simon entered the room, bringing freshly made sushi with him and placing it down in front of them.

He uttered some more of silly lines of sushi bringing peace to the universe before he was out the private booth again, leaving it in a strained silence.

 

Izaya had a hard time not stuffing his face with the fatty tuna in front of him though.  
It had been _so_ long.

 

Kadota seemed to notice this with a little smirk and quickly uttered a “Let’s eat!” before they all dug in.

Ignoring the previous topic of conversation, Walker asked Izaya where he had acquired so much knowledge regarding explosives. They gingerly conversed on the topic and he found that Walker knew quite a bit himself, perhaps unsurprisingly after the things he had heard from the occasional pyromaniac in the past.

Izaya was hardly a master in the subject though, he had only been studying it for a couple of days now.

Well, days _and_ nights.

 

As they ate, they discussed the possible reasons as to why this person would want to endanger the city and who exactly this person could be. Of course, that escalated into Walker and Erika going into their own little world and soon they had an entire plot line thought out that they had to graphically explain to everyone in the room, much to Kadota’s annoyance.

“Knock it off already!” He interrupted them.

 

After letting them bicker innocently for a bit, Izaya decided to voice his final question to them.

 

“So, what do you guys say?”

 

A serious look returned on Kadota’s face, as well as the others although it had never quite faded from Togusa’s. Their leader glanced to his companions, looking for their confirmation.

“Alright, count us in.” Kadota responded, voice serious and promising.

“But if you trick us or something, we will leave you to Erika and Walker’s mercy, got it?” Togusa added, suspicion never faltering.

 

Izaya merely chuckled delightfully at him.

“Oh, I’m sure that won’t be necessary.” he added playfully before he rose from his seat.

He still had a lot of work to do and his job here was done.

 

“I look forward to working with you guys in the future.” He concluded to them before placing his mask back on. They watched him go with intrigued eyes.  
He left the same way he came as Simon waved him a quick goodbye.

 

 

 

After the raven’s departure, Kadota’s gang soon found their way to the counter.

“He just wants to beat this…villain right? Come out as the superior one? Like I’ll believe he does it out of love for humanity, or whatever.” Togusa dropped absentmindedly while Erika and Walker were still discussing in the background.

Kadota hummed at him, not quite sure about the whole thing either.

 

Simon then turned to them however. “Ah, you guys enjoy Sushi yes? It’s already been accounted for so you can go.” he said with a playful wink. Togusa looked at him in surprise, Kadota just looked amused.

They turned to leave, as Togusa muttered something along the lines of “Pfft, just because he treats us to sushi doesn’t mean I’ll automatically trust him…” as Erika giggled at him.

 

Before Kadota could follow after them, Simon’s voice reached his ears again.

“Oh, you saw it in his eyes too, right Ka-dota?”

 

Said man regarded Simon, whom was still carrying his typical warm smile.

 

“The yearn for redemption.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Meow!” Yuigadokusonmaru whined again.

Having no laptop nor large-chested girls to roll on, he tried to coax Shizuo into letting him lay on his lap.

Said blond sighed in surrender.

“Fine, come on then.” he answered to the gloating eyes next to him on the couch.

 

As his brother’s cat nestled itself into a comfortable position, he took another long drag at his cigarette.

Kasuka and Ruri were away on a two-day trip and so he opted to take care of Dokusonmaru for a while.

He didn’t really mind. Although Shizuo wasn’t exactly a cat person, he supposed Dokusonmaru had  _some_ basic manners at least...

 

He eyed the news on the television for a moment before staring out the window again. He was still processing the events from yesterday evening, where Celty had found him spying on her and the Flea.

It had distracted him from work too, as Tom had noticed. Luckily he didn’t pry too much and just told Shizuo to get plenty of sleep in concern.

 

‘Sleep, huh?’ he thought drowsily.

 

Everything still felt like it was some sort of weird dream he was living. Like Izaya being back in the city again and acting so docile wasn’t meant to be reality.

At the same time, it felt natural.

Like the Flea was back where he belonged. Back where Shizuo could get mad at him, scream his lungs out at him and then chase him for hours on end.

 

But that would only be the case if the Flea had been his old self.  
So then, who was he now?

 

Again, like so many times before, he thought back to the moment where they had first met.

Shizuo had been so pissed already at that moment and then _he_ had to show up with that _damn_ smirk and those _damn_ eyes and that fucking air of arrogance flooding Shizuo’s senses.

  
He hated him.

  
He fucking couldn’t stand him.

  
But was it just because of those superficial things? Just because of his face? His voice? The way he acted?

Shizuo couldn’t say.

 

He just knew what he felt and he always acted upon his feelings.

That was who he was.

And perhaps, he was still like that now, to some extent.

 

He still got angry sometimes, for reasons undeserving of such a force of emotion from him, but it was less frequently so.

 _If_ he did get angry though, it was harder to stop at moments…

 

Perhaps because he didn’t have an outlet anymore...

After all, he had no-one to yell at like he did at Izaya.

No-one to throw street signs, trash bins or vending machines at like he did at Izaya.

No-one to chase until his lungs were burning from exhaustion like with Izaya.

No-one to challenge and taunt him like Izaya did in his own peculiar ways.

 

Without Izaya tormenting his life every now and then, the city felt so very…

Empty.

 

Every time he came across a ‘memento’ from one of their clashes, whether it was a dent in a wall, an uprooted street pole or something as silly as a shear in a floor tile, he was reminded of the Flea.

It made him look around him anxiously, made his insides flare to a state of high alert because many times he thought, _really_ thought that Izaya was suddenly going to stand there and start taunting him again.

 

Shizuo realized he almost _needed_ him too. _Wished_ for the Flea to be there.

 

Because every time he wasn’t, Shizuo felt his conscience down on him again.

 _‘I killed him’._  His mind would repeat over and over again. ‘ _I went too far and I killed him.’._

 

_‘He’s never coming back...’_

 

It was like a disease racking through his brains.

 

And yet, he finally had the peaceful life he always longed after.

That should’ve made him happy right?

That’s should’ve been all he ever wanted.

…

 

He looked at the skyscrapers in the distance, thinking about that one building that got completely destroyed because of them in distaste.

 

What if…

What if he hadn’t been so rude to Izaya that first time?

What if he had just greeted him properly instead of saying "I don't like you." before lunging at him with his fist?

Would it have changed things?

Would the city not have suffered so much because of them?

 

Would _they_ not have suffered so much?

 

His gaze saddened as he regarded the colourful city lights, both close and far.

He supposed he would never truly know…

 

He then thought back to his little incident at that club some time ago, when he was saved from the threatened gun at his face by a stray knife flying through the glass.

He now knew who had thrown that.

If not just from the skill, the scent he picked up then was the same one as those that followed whenever he came close to the Flea.

 

There was no doubt. It had been Izaya.

And yet, again, it didn’t make any sense.

Izaya wanted him _dead_ , that much was clear the last time they had crossed arms...

So why would he save Shizuo?

  
It was all so terribly confusing and he was extremely tired thinking about it all.

 

Dokusonmaru gave a little mewl and stretched his paws before staring at Shizuo again with his large eyes.

Shizuo just chuckled, petting him until the fluffy being started purring in content.

 

He then frowned as his attention was caught by the flick-blade that laid bare on the coffee table in front of him, the same one that Izaya had used to fight him that fateful night.

Amidst the remnants of fresh blood, it was the only other thing he had left behind.

 

He blew out some more smoke in a deep sigh, the white trails disappearing into the city’s air through the crooked window.

 

No matter how odd the behavior, he knew he had to keep Izaya’s true self in the back of his mind.

He had always said that Shizuo was a monster, but even if he was, Izaya had been no different.

 

‘Have you really changed, Izaya?’

 

He wondered, curiosity and perhaps hope nearly overcoming the resentment that was still burning in his heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The person lingering in Shizuo’s thoughts however, did not have the luxury of taking time to reflect.

Fully enveloped in his quest to stop the still unknown villain ‘Akai’ from bombing the city, Izaya continued to study and work on his plans to undermine those of the man on the other side of the city.

 

In the midst of It all, the familiar buzz of his phone was very audible in the quiet room and tired eyes focused on the sound immediately.

 

He wondered if it was perhaps Celty, asking information about the parts he still needed to obtain.

As he read the message however, he was slightly perplexed by its content, much like with the unexpected message in Russia.

 

He had nearly forgotten about the person who had sent for him in the first place. A person he had yet to meet.

 

It seems like that time had finally come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it had been any other openly ‘public’ place, Izaya wouldn’t have showed up.

This charming bar though, that was a different story. Perhaps this person knew of his secret tastes, which was strange.  
Or perhaps he had already met this person before…

Luckily, the place was never too populated, certainly not at this late hour. There would be the typical bar-slouchers, coming in every evening to yammer about their miserable lives to the barman, whom was keen fellow, really.

He would most likely recognize Izaya’s face if he got as much as a single look on it, despite the mask.

There was an unspoken trust between them though, the place was sought after by some of the Awakusu-kai as well and thus, the man knew of Izaya’s confidential business all too well.

 

So he entered the place gingerly, smoothly going to the at least somewhat concealed table where the mysterious person who summoned him back to this city was waiting for him.

 

He shouldn’t have been so surprised to see the well-known Red Demon of the Awakusu sitting there, enjoying the performance of a three-pieced jazz band on the other end of the room, and yet, he slightly was.

He removed the look on his face as quickly as it came when said person made eye contact with him, expression a mirror to his own.

 

That however, made no sense.

 

He _knew_ Izaya would come, wouldn’t he?

 

Nevertheless, the man quickly put on an amused smirk and signalled him to sit down with him.

 

“Evening, Akabayashi-san,” Izaya began smoothly as he seated himself comfortably, taking of his hood entirely.

“Surprised to see me, are you?” he continued as he sported his mischievous smirk on his masked face.

“I must say I actually am, Orihara-san.” The man answered coyly.

“Alive even, I guess that means that you were indeed with Kine all this time.” It wasn’t really a question, more of a statement, a suspicion confirmed true.

 

Izaya merely hummed in response as the barman arrived with their drinks, some fancy brand of whisky, he noticed.

The barman gave him a slight smile in recognition as Izaya nodded his head in thanks.

Akabayashi raised the glass to his mouth as he glanced at the jazz trio again.

 

“So, did Kine come with you?” he questioned next.

Izaya raised an eyebrow at him. “If you wanted him to come, why didn’t you send a message to _his_ phone instead?” He wondered aloud. Akabayashi smirked in response.

“I didn’t personally send the message, I’m afraid.” He regarded Izaya with his typical collected gaze.

 

“That honor goes to Shinichi-san.” He continued, surprising Izaya a bit.

 

“You see, it was him that alerted me in the first place, inviting me into his chatroom and telling me that there was a particular bad apple in the wide basket that is Ikebukuro.”

‘Of course, how could I forget about him…’ Izaya thought with a smile.

Tsukumoya Shinichi had been more than helpful to him with many cases in the past, although he was always rather vague in a philosophical way. Izaya didn’t mind that, however.

He _did_ mind the more then occasional teasing...

 

“He wasn’t very direct about it, perhaps he didn’t know more himself… however doubtful that is.” The red haired man continued as he twirled the whiskey around in his glass.  
“He advised me to get someone on the job, someone who was good in the field...”

“And so you thought of Kine.” Izaya filled in for him, Akabayashi nodded with a sigh.

“Shinichi knew where he was and volunteered to let him know.” He continued with a coy smile.

“I guess he ‘messed up’ somehow.” Of course, Akabayashi didn’t believe the words as they left his mouth.

 

Izaya gave a smirk in reply. It was typical of Shinichi though, sending the text to him on purpose…

Had he known Izaya would come back, just like that?

With a message that trivial, even.

‘The sly bastard...’ he thought as he sipped the strong drink, stinging bitterly in the back of his throat.

 

“Then again, you’re here.” Akabayashi started again playfully.  
“For what reason though, I wonder.” He added, suspicion blending in with his amused voice.

 

Of course the man wouldn’t trust him, he never did.

  
Nobody ever did.

 

“I’m here for the exact reason you wanted me to be.” Izaya replied in all seriousness.

“Nothing more, nothing less.”

 

Akabayashi hummed at him, amused.

“I’m surprised you showed your face here though, seeing as many still think you’re dead or at least gone.” He eyed Izaya curiously.

“Or is that mask just for fun?”

 

Izaya gave a small chuckle “I’m afraid not, although I suppose it doesn’t really conceal much.” He answered as he stared at the jazz trio who were successfully grasping the attention of the few people in the bar.

The drummer was completely lost in his own world, only making eye contact with the bassist and guitarist every now and then as they plucked and strummed away at their strings.

Izaya was already forming some fitting piano parts in his head as he listened.

  
“They’re not a bad bunch, I’ll say, pretty new though.” Akabayashi's voice filtered in, his eyes stuck to the same place as Izaya’s.

“They don’t come close to the local favourite though.” Izaya responded with a small smile.

Akabayashi took another swing at his glass as he hummed in agreement.

 

“So, what is it that you have discovered then? Whatever ‘danger’ is lurking in our streets?” he asked seriously.

  
Izaya gave him a mischievous glance. “That’s quite the story, not sure if this is the right place to discuss it.”

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them again, filled in by the relaxing melodies.

 

“Are you going to tell Shiki that I’m back by the way?” He couldn’t help but ask.

 

Akabayashi seemed a bit annoyed at the switching of the subject, but complied nonetheless.

 

“Depends. I don’t _have_ to tell him.” He smirked at Izaya, whom raised his eyebrows at his answer.

“Me and Shiki might be close colleagues, but we both have our _secrets_.” Came the mischievous reply.

 

“I see.” Izaya opted contently.

 

It would be better that way, to keep his old business out of his life, for now. It would only bring rise to more complications.

 

“So, about that ‘danger’…” Akabayshi inquired once more.

Izaya smirked as he sipped his drink again.

 

This was going to be a long evening.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so our 'saving Ikebukuro' team expands! (and the time till my next exam shrinks, haha)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, sure was fun to write.
> 
> I know I keep repeating myself, but thanks again for all the kudos and comments, they really do give me strength during this hectic period ;)


	7. I’ll Stay Down With My Demons

 

 

“So, I take it everything is proceeding as planned?” a crisp voice came through the phone.

  
“Of course.” Came the curt, slightly nervous answer. It was not missed by the other, however.

 

“Is that doubt I sense? If you’re having trouble with something, it will do you no good to leave me out of it, you know.” It was said in a casual way, which eased the tension somewhat.

“Everything is just going so smoothly…Tsukumoya is still out of the way, right?” The other man began again, receiving amused laughter as a response.

  
“He can try to reboot up his servers all he wants, the people I’ve got on that job are more than capable enough at subduing him.”

 

A sigh of relief spread throughout the room.

 

“I sure hope that _you're_ capable enough as well, however.” The voice came again, a bit colder this time. “You do realize I’m about to do you a huge favour, right?”

 

The man in question bit his lip before a hard look returned to his eyes.

 

“I won’t fail.” Was the delayed but confident reply.

 

A little hum was heard from the other side.

“Good, just remember, if anything goes wrong don’t do anything stupid. We’ve been through this before.”

 

“I won’t.”

 

Another amused chuckle followed, accompanied by a satisfied sigh.

 

“I can’t wait for the new year to get started.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celty stared at the familiar building for a moment, waiting until she saw no movement in the lower halls. She left Shooter on the other side of the road behind some bushes and hoped that he would keep laying low there.

She sneaked inside the tall construction with a small package pressed to her chest, quickly claiming the elevator. She rode it all the way to the top, to the designated place of delivery.

Once at the front door, she noticed how there was no name tag or anything, no metal plate that said “Orihara Izaya – Information Broker”.  
Yet, that was the person who greeted her at the door, luckily.

Izaya shot her a little smirk and signalled her inside wordlessly. He proceeded to grab his teacup on the desk before leaning against it casually.

[So, you’re really just staying at your usual place?] Celty held up, looking around a bit curiously.

Izaya chuckled for a moment as he eased her to put the package down on the desk next to him.

“Surprise!” He responded cheerfully, waving his unoccupied hand about. “Don’t worry, officially some other loaded guy lives here, it’s not like my name is anywhere in the register.”

'Figures' Celty thought as she moved to put the package down.

 

“In any case, thanks for getting that for me, hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” He added gingerly.

She shook her head in response.

“That’s good.” Izaya responded, he stared at the floor for a moment, as if pondering on something.

Celty then noticed how tired Izaya looked, dark rings underneath his eyes standing out against the white of his skin.

 

“You were right, by the way.” He muttered, suddenly. She cocked her head in response.

“About the set time, about the bombs.” He added in explanation, watching as Celty tensed up with a little smirk.

 

[No way! For real?]

She could hardly believe it.

 

“I’m afraid it is… Cliché isn’t it?” Izaya said with a sad smile. “Guy's probably aiming for a full out drama or something...”

Celty pondered on those words for a moment as Izaya moved towards the windows, staring out into the night as he proceeded to tell her about his discovery at the old orphanage.

She was not amused at his story, _not at all_.

 

[Wait, you just went in there? Alone?! What if you were caught?] She responded a bit heatedly.

Izaya scoffed at her. “Oh please, I can handle myself.”

 

Celty put her hands on her hips in response, not impressed at all.

[Right, I'm sure that you running through speeding traffic when you ‘bumped’ into Shizuo was all calculated, huh?].

 

Izaya’s eyes widened at her words, before he swiftly turned them towards the sky outside again in discomfort.

“That’s not exactly the same thing...” He muttered in a soft voice.

 

She was curious honestly, to what Izaya’s take on Shizuo was right now and why he was so uncharacteristically afraid of him but she supposed that it wasn’t her place to pry, certainly not in times like these…

 

“I’ve recruited a team.” Izaya then announced suddenly, back to his casual tone.

“We’re in need of trustworthy allies after all, if we want to see this through efficiently.” He added.

[Who?] Celty asked curiously.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve met them before.” Izaya threw her his phone, which she caught smoothly. She scrolled through the list of familiar names and pictures, surprised at a certain individual.

 

[Akabayashi-san? Does the Awakusu-kai know about what’s going on?] She questioned the raven and he quickly shook his head with his typical smile adorning his face.

“He was the person who sent for me, more or less.” He explained. “We made a little deal regarding the Awakusu-kai, so we don’t have to worry about it.”

 

Celty nodded at that. Akabayashi-san was a rather intimidating man and yet, he had this 'relaxing' aura around him as well. It was odd that he was involved in this but at the same time it suited the man. Celty had no doubt that he he had good intentions, despite his 'associations'.

 

[So, what is the plan now?]

Izaya sighed at her question.

“The coming days, I’m going to work on _this_.” He said as he motioned to the fresh package on his desk. “Once I’m done we’d best have a group meeting, get a clear plan worked out.”

 

Izaya said it like it was going to be like taking candy from a baby. Celty sincerely hoped that it would be that easy.

 

[You think this Akai is getting suspicious of something? You did enter his ‘secret lair’…] She responded in worry.

Izaya’s eyebrows raised at that. “Hm, the only traces I left of that was some footsteps in the dust but there were plenty of those…”  
“We have to persevere, in any case.” Izaya smiled at her.

 

His eyes flicked to something outside again and he frowned in confusion.

 

“Erhm, Celty is that your…horse over there?” He asked doubtfully.

 

She quickly went up to the window and sure enough, there was Shooter, having some kind of stand-off with a stray dog across the street.

She face-palmed and shook her head in disappointment. It wouldn’t be the first time a dog had peed on him in his motorcycle form… Shooter did not take kindly on that.

 

[I better go.] She announced to the now amused man next to her. 

[Take care of yourself, alright?] She added once she was at the door, making Izaya scoff again.

 

He presented her with a little smirk though. “I’ll do my ‘best’…Oh, best not forget this.” He continued as he threw her a thick envelope.  
“For your service, remember?” He concluded with a wink.

 

Celty gleamed with joy at the amount of money before hastily moving downstairs to calm Shooter down.

 

‘Maybe I can get that one dress now after all!’ She thought in a moment of sweet bliss, daydreaming about her and Shinra's magical day that wasn't that far down the road anymore.

But first, there were certain obstacles that needed to be conquered...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following days passed by rather slowly.

After Akabayashi’s revelation, Izaya sought out his old ‘colleague’, but was surprised to see Shinichi’s chat room down and inaccessible. It was alarming to say the least. He couldn’t remember a time where that had happened before. The man was always online, as if he were some supernatural being without need for sleep…

It didn’t sit well with Izaya at all, but he had to continue his work nevertheless.

 

He remained cooped up in his apartment, working day and night on the devices that would make the difference between victory and loss, between life and death.

Whenever he had a moment to breathe, he either played his beloved piano, enjoyed a nice cup of tea or gave his friends in Russia a call. They were way to curious for their own good, however and Izaya had just promised them he would fill them in once it was all over and done with.

If he told Manami about his recent 'adventures' now, he was sure to be lectured at a whole new level. 

 

Every now and then, his thoughts would linger on his sisters. He checked their online activity rather shamelessly sometimes, just to get an eye on how they were doing. They spent too much time conversing with this Aoba Kuronuma kid to his liking. He’d have to keep an eye on that.

By the amount of ‘research’ they conducted on Yuhei Hanejima though, he found that they indeed hadn’t changed much at all. Somehow, that eased his mind.

 

He often thought about Akai as well, about his possible identities, about the reasons, the motives for this...devastation he was planning.

He thought about Togusa’s question, about why he, himself was doing this.

As he stared out into the city, he honestly couldn’t come up with much of a decent answer.

Perhaps he just didn’t want to face it, just like he couldn’t face his unresolved thoughts regarding his old nemesis.

His adamant mind was occupied by other things.

Soon, he would meet with his assembled team and they would have their last gathering before everything was about to go down.

And that was the most important thing anyway.

 

 

Elsewhere, the city’s Dullahan arrived home after her last job for the day. She was glad that there was plenty of work to do. It distracted her from thinking about the whole ordeal that was soon about to go down.

Her lover wasn’t far from the same mindset, although Shinra was still stuck wondering about the actual state of his old friend.

The friend that he had let go of.

He thought back to how Izaya had laid there, in that hospital bed, all battered and broken yet already licking his wounds.

Shinra would’ve never believed that person was capable of change, but now he was doubtful.

If even Shizuo, who hated Izaya with a well-deserved passion, noticed something ‘different’ about him, it must be true to some extent.

He wondered if it was because of him, because of what he had said that day, of what he had done.  
His gaze saddened.

Part of him wanted to reach out to the raven but part of him believed that it wasn’t his place to do so…

He had abandoned Izaya, after all…

 

 

 

 

A mile off, in their favourite merchandise store, Erika and Walker were fervently conversing over the new release of one of their treasured novel series.

Kadota would’ve scolded them for dragging him with them again, but unlike Togusa, he was unable to this time, his mind wandering to what was about to come.  
He knew his friends were thinking about it as well. He could see it in the overly cheerful behaviour they exhibited, probably just to keep _his_ mind off of it as much as their own.

He just hoped their trust in Izaya wouldn’t be misplaced in the end… 

 

 

 

The Awakusu-kai’s Red Demon was enjoying another glass of whiskey in his beloved bar, discussing regular business with one of his partners.  
He could still hardly believe it, however, that Orihara Izaya was doing the city a favor this big, without asking for any kind of payment.

He’s never been the type for that. People like him always needed something in return.

An eye for and eye, as they say.

Then again, the brat had been through certain events, events that might’ve possibly elicited a change of heart, a change in reason.  
Certain moments in life can do that to you. He smirked ruefully as he absent-mindedly touched the scar on his eye.

He himself knew that all too well.

 

 

Around the same time, Shizuo and Tom were waving in salutation to Akane and the Orihara twins after they bumped into them on the street.

As Shizuo saw them run along in enthusiastic energy, well, the twins anyway, his gaze saddened as he thought about their safety. After speaking with Celty only moments before, he was sure this bomb-guy was some sort of crazy maniac, probably aiming for some sort of disaster for whatever sick reasons…

He grazed his teeth harshly at the thought of his friends getting caught in an explosion. He couldn’t stand thinking about it…

Luckily, Tom snapped him out of his entrapped mind. “Hey Shizuo, want to go and visit that cake shop again? I could go for some sweet stuff…” He asked with a wink.

Shizuo smiled.

Tom sure knew his weakness…

 

 

In yet another place, a man was enjoying a self-made meal all by himself in his beat-down apartment on the outskirts of Ikebukuro.

He smiled in slight excitement as he tapped away at the screen on his phone while he ate, hardly caring for the slightly undercooked rice that scraped between his teeth.

The man had seen a lifetime of suffering, a lifetime of bad choices and no luck whatsoever, but now he finally felt like he was in control.  
After this, he would have the chance to begin anew. To go somewhere else, to _be_ someone else.

One last time, one last ‘job’.  
And then, he was going to decide his _own_ fate.

Just like he was going to decide the fate of many others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Izaya had the excellent timing of falling asleep on his desk some hours before the official meet-up, which of course, ended up in him being slightly late.

He entered the usual building complex a bit cautiously as he regarded the eyes now focusing on his dark form. The place was lit up rather timidly, the yellow glow from the street lights reaching inside the building through the windowless gaps.

“Evening, Orihara-san” Akabayashi welcomed him with his coy smile. The others just nodded at him in acknowledgement.

“You look like shit...” Kadota said rather bluntly after giving him a once-over.

“Why, I wasn't aware of that at all.” Izaya couldn’t help but respond sarcastically. He knew he looked like hell, because he honestly wasn’t sure when he had last properly slept and neither did he really care. His dreams wouldn't leave him alone again and it was frustrating beyond belief.

 

“I do believe we are all present,” He addressed the group with a silvery voice as he assessed everyone's features.   
  
“Pretty sure you’ve all met at some point, or at least heard of each other, right?” he continued as he proceeded to open his bag, rummaging around in it.

Akabayashi did a little wink to Erika at his words, making her blush a bit. She kept nervously looking at his cane though.  
Well, they all heard the stories of what the man could do with that thing.

“We had quite the interesting chat before you arrived, neh Akabayashi-san?” Walker responded then, appearing excited.

Izaya raised his eyebrows at him, then glanced at Akabayashi who just regarded him with his typical relaxed gaze. “You sure gathered some interesting people for this mission, I must say.” He spoke in his typical gruff voice.

Izaya merely chuckled in response.

 

“In any case, everyone should take at least one of these.” He said as he handed the little hemispheric devices to them. Everyone gave them a curious look-over.  
He handed one extra to Celty, since she was the most mobile in the team.

“It’s so cuuuuute!” Erika squealed as she handled the thing like it was some sort of fluffy critter.  
Kadota rolled his eyes at her.

 

“ _This_ is the thing you are definitely going to need tomorrow.” Izaya responded seriously.

 

“All you have to do is attach it to the bomb’s computer module, once we’ve located them of course.” He continued as roamed his eyes across the room.

“Once that is done, I will activate this ‘cute’ device from my computer, which allows me to get inside the bomb’s circuit and thus, I will nullify it smoothly and efficiently.” He explained while everyone listened intently, Erika giggling at his remark.

“Hm, not bad Orihara-san.” Akabayashi responded. Celty nodded in agreement while Walker and Erika were already discussing the ‘magical powers’ the device possessed, comparing it to God-knows-what kind of technology and saying it came straight out of the psycho-pass universe, whatever the hell that was.

 

“What if it doesn’t work?” Togusa then asked rather bluntly, eyeing the device like it was going to explode any second.

“It _will_ work.” Izaya responded almost immediately, confidence clear in his voice.  
He would bet all his money on it, and that said enough on itself.

“So, how exactly are we going to find the bombs, by the way?” Kadota asked next.

Izaya then took out his phone, doing a couple of taps at the screen as he proceeded to speak casually.

“That’s still the biggest problem we face. I’m betting all my chances on the mapping program I acquired from Akai's central computer, it should reveal the bombs from the moment they enter the map or whenever he activates the tracking-system. There are many possibilities, really." He paused for a moment before continuing.

“I’ve invited you all into a private chat room I made earlier, this is the place where we’ll keep in touch with each other and from which I’ll guide you towards the bombs.”

Everyone quickly pulled out their own phones, accepting the invite to the room and giving themselves appropriate chat names.

Some with way to much enthusiasm.

 

“Erika, not everybody will know that Yaoigirl4ever is you, dammit.” Kadota said as he peeked over at Erika’s screen.

Before she could respond though, Izaya muttered a “Sadly, we do, Dota-chin.”   
Erika stuck out her tongue playfully at Kadota in victory.

 

More explanation followed on the tactical positioning as well as the exact place where the device had to be attached to the bomb. Everyone, even Shooter was listening intently.

 

“So, does everyone understand the plan?” Izaya finally concluded, fatigue sipping into his voice.

 

He received a unified “Yes!” from Kadota’s team, a [You bet!] from Celty, a confident neigh from Shooter and lastly, a curt nod from Akabayashi. Walker and Erika couldn't refrain from waving their arms about, buzzing with excitement.

 

“By the way, I’m not sure if this has been discussed before but, since this guy is probably going for a big and well, dangerous spectacle, shouldn’t we involve the police?” Kadota then asked, making Izaya’s red gaze shift to him once more.

“I’ve thought about that as well, but the problem is that we can’t fully trust them in case Akai has any ties there.” Izaya pointed out. “Plus they could prematurely cause evacuations which might produce unnecessary panic and drama.” He continued in a sing-song voice. “And that’s exactly what our villain wants, most likely.”

Kadota’s group hummed in agreement, although Togusa was still eyeing him somewhat suspiciously.

 

“Don’t worry, _once_ we did our thing and the danger has passed, I will send them everything we’ve got on the case, anonymously of course.” Izaya stated firmly.

“For free?” Akabayashi then inquired, smirking teasingly into the question.

 

Izaya just returned the gesture.

 

“For _free_.” He confirmed.

 

 

Everyone regarded each other one last time with gazes and postures that radiated determination and Izaya could almost literally see the lines of fate binding them together in an invisible spider web. Unconsciously, it set ablaze an old fire that never burned quite so brightly before. 

 

“Let’s try to get this new year started unscathed then, shall we?” Izaya spoke with a voice as ready as ever for the battle that was about to begin.

 

‘This is going to be _fun.’_ His mind couldn't help but exclaim in dangerous excitement. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well, we're getting rather close to the 'grand event' huh? I'm going to split that into two chapters however, else it will be way too long, haha. In any case, my last exam is over, praise the maker! But well, now I got to work on my thesis again and my internship is starting in a week (yey!). Not sure if those things will delay my writing but know that I will do my very best!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much for reading, the kudos and comments! You are all so lovely <3


	8. And I’ll Reveal My Strength To The Whole Human Race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up for the chat room.
> 
> Kanra: Izaya  
> Setton: Celty  
> IloveBeanies: Kadota  
> Katon!: Walker  
> Yaoigirl4ever: Erika  
> Ruri’sPrince: Togusa  
> Akuma: Akabayashi

 

 

Izaya stretched out his slender arms in a futile attempt to relax.

 

Despite his little dreamless nap yesterday after the meeting, he was still restless. 

Releasing another sigh, he got up from his seat and paced around some more.

 

Any moment now, the map could activate.

Any moment the bombs would be revealed or at least, _that_ was what Izaya was hoping for. That was what _everyone_ was hoping for.

 

He gazed at the time again. It was already 11 PM. Just one measly hour left until this whole thing would be over.

The whole city was still wide awake, its citizens aching to celebrate the start of the New year.

 

He himself however, was currently set up in one of his smaller hide-outs which was, favourably, much closer to the orphanage.

This position was their fail-safe.

Should the map not reveal anything, should he not have a _single_ clue of the location of the bombs any time soon, he could always go in there and just bust the guy.

Akai would never expect it, most likely. Izaya would easily overpower him in a surprise attack, hack into the central computer again and could even _make_ Akai stop the timer and disable the bombs.

 

But still, it was risky.

Izaya wasn’t exactly in top form and neither did he know if his little infiltration had been noticed.

He’d rather not run into some sort of booby trap either.

 

Plus, it just wouldn’t be as much _fun_ as this, honestly.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a profound alarm ringing from his laptop. As he quickly turned towards the screen again, he regarded Ikebukuro’s layout with excitement dancing in his eyes.

The undeniable green dots were blinking against the black and white contrast of the digital map. Some moving, some standing still. He smirked as he realized that the man sitting a couple of blocks away was probably watching over the same map he was beholding right now.

‘Finally, time for action.’

The thought ran through his mind as excitingly as his blood was being pumped through his veins.  His attention then turned to the chat room where his team was waiting for his commands.

They must’ve been just as nervous, he realized before finally typing a response.

 

[Kanra: I’ve got eyes on the targets. Getting the coordinates now, get ready to move.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Celty was  _dying_ inside.

Literally.

 

Waiting around like this was the most nerve wrecking _ever_. She hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything the whole day and she was sure she hadn’t been the only one.

Next to her, Shizuo was looking just as tense, already smoking up his fifth cigarette in less than an hour.

 

They were laying low in an alley close to the centre of the town, where a ton of people had gathered at the big screen that showed the Jack O’Lantern’s New year’s show live.

 

Her eyes were currently trained on her PDA’s screen, watching as the messages of the team flew by.

 

[Togusa: This is killing me, it’s already 11PM!]

[Yaoigirl4ever: Yeah, when is this guy going to make a move? <.<]

[IloveBeanies: Bro, you should really use a fake name you know.]

[Togusa: Hell no, This room’s private right? Who cares!]

[IloveBeanies: True, but you never know…]

 

 

Celty shook her head. As far as she knew, Togusa, Kadota and Erika formed the ‘van team’ and could just as easily communicate directly.

Granted, they _were_ a special bunch.

 

 

[Ruri’sPrince: THERE, Happy now?!]

[Katon!: LOL]

[Kanra: I’ve got eyes on the targets. Getting the coordinates now, get ready to move.]

[Katon!: Wooooooooo!]

[Akuma: *thumbs up*]

[Yaoigirl4ever: Yeah! Time to roll!]

 

‘Yes!’ Celty thought excitingly, she did a quick thumbs-up at Shizuo who looked relieved beyond words.

“Finally, for fuck sake.” He grumbled out, putting out his cigarette and quickly throwing it in the nearest trash bin.

 

Meanwhile, Izaya was already coordinating everyone around. Celty awaited her ‘orders’ patiently.

 

[Kanra: Setton, one of the bombs is very close to you, at the Sunshine cinema.]

Celty responded with a quick [Moving there now!] as Shizuo hopped on and they moved to their target in a hurry, Shooter neighing excitingly as they rode down the lanes.

 

The closer they came to the intersection, the more people they encountered and thus, the noisier it became.

Some hardly even acknowledged Celty anymore, however. Either because they’ve seen the ‘Headless rider of Ikebukuro’ so many times before already or just because they were already too drunk to realize what they were seeing.

After all, everyone was having the time of their lives, dancing and chatting with their friends while drinking to their heart’s content. It reminded Celty of Shinra, whom was at home all alone and probably worrying about her non-stop. It made her feel a bit guilty but she pushed the feeling away. She and Shinra both knew how important this mission was.

 

They tried staying a bit to the side to avoid the mass of people gathered in the centre, all cheering at Ruri’s performance on the giant screen that was displayed above the entrance to the cinema. She was singing one of her recent hits, dressed in a festive outfit and surrounded by beautifully adorned dancers.

 

It was a good distraction for the crowd while they tried to find something that could pass for the big silhouette of the bomb.

 

[Setton: We’re here, don’t see anything suspicious, though.] She texted Izaya, whom was frantically replying to whole team at once.

For a moment, she wondered how he could keep a cool head in the storm of messages like that.

 

[Kanra: Setton, it’s probably disguised to fit in with the scene and decorations and the like, see anything like that?]

 

She quickly turned her head around, looking for suspicious decorations. It wasn’t easy however, with all the people blocking the view.

 

“Celty, perhaps the tree?” Shizuo opted from behind her then as he pointed at the large Christmas tree standing at the side. She gave a quick nod and approached it, swooping behind the beautifully lit tree smoothly before they disembarked Shooter. Countless presents of all sizes where placed underneath it for decorative purposes.

‘That must be it!’ She realized.

One of the presents might just be the bomb in disguise.

Shizuo got the hint as well, already tearing up the paper of one of the rather large presents. Celty took the precaution to erect some walls with her shadows to obscure their actions from the crowd, lest people thought they were hooligans or something. Shooter changed back into his natural form, wanting to butt in and help tear down the presents’ wrapping. 

Not having a mouth nor teeth however, turned out to be pretty disabling...

 

Nevertheless, they soon found a particularly suspicious ‘present’.

 

[Setton.: Found it!] She typed proudly to the others, receiving applauding comments in return.

[Yaoigirl4ever: That’s the black rider for you!]

[Kanra: Good job, tell me when you’re ready.]

 

Shizuo watched with interest as Celty pulled the strange device from her sleeve and attached it to the designated place on the bomb. It made a little beeping noise as it sucked itself onto the metal casing, a little green light flickering on its side.

 

[Setton: Ready!]

 

In a matter of seconds, the device gave out some more high-pitched noises before the slight buzzing inside the bomb died down and its computer panel shut off completely as the light died out.

“Did it work?” Shizuo questioned, a bit astonished.

Celty just presented him with Izaya’s confirmation.

[Kanra: It’s done, stay in stand-by, try to not let anyone near it, maybe you can cover it up with your shadows?]

 

Just as Shizuo’s eyes roamed over the chat, an old man came stumbling by, obviously intoxicated by the drink in his hand. He eyed Shizuo and Celty drowsily, before laying eyes on Shooter as if he had seen a miracle.

“You!” He exclaimed.

“You are the most beautiful pony I have ever seen!”

 

Needless to say, Shooter felt slightly assaulted as the guy started hugging him while saying more ridiculous things.

‘I’m not a fucking pony damnit, I’m a horse. A HORSE!’ Shooter’s mind screamed in terror.

 

Both Celty and Shizuo stared at the scene in a mix of shock and amusement.

They soon shifted their attention back to the PDA that was buzzing with more messages.

 

[Kanra: Update, got eyes one another one that is now stationary at what I believe is the ongoing concert of Hijiribe Ruri. Anyone near that position?].

 

Shizuo’s eyes went wide like saucers.

“I’ll go!” He blurted out hastily. Celty looked up at him a bit startled.

‘He must be worried about Kasuka..’ She then realized.

[Are you sure?] She asked Shizuo worriedly.

 

“Yes, you stay here with the bomb, I’ll make sure everyone at the concert will be safe.” The blond responded rather confidently, lips a tight line in determination.

Celty nodded before handing Shizuo the spare device Izaya gave her. He wasted no time in taking off while she typed a response to the chat room.

 

[Ruri’sPrince: Nooo, my sweet Ruriii-channn!!!]

[Setton: Shizuo will do it, I gave him my spare device.]

 

She didn’t receive an answer from Izaya for a moment, although it was hard to follow the room with Togusa whining all over it.

 

[IloveBeanies: Shizuo?]

[Togusa: WE MUST SAVE HER, GO SHIZUOOOOO!!!]

[Togusa: IF SHE DIES, MY SOUL DIES TOOOOOO]

[IloveBeanies: STOP YOUR DAMN SPAMMING YOU FOOL.]

[Kanra:...]

[Kanra: Just make sure he picks up his phone.]

 

As she glanced in the direction the blond just sprinted off to, Celty really hoped that Shizuo would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, Walker and Akabayashi had teamed up and neutralized another threat.

 

The bomb hadn’t been that hard to find since the lone truck standing in front of the Awakusu-kai’s gallery had been suspicious enough on itself.

The driver had just stepped out of it and made to escape the scene. Too bad for him that he had to encounter two of Ikebukuro’s most dangerous ‘civilians’.

 

Sadly, Walker didn’t get the chance to show off his ‘Fire-bending’ skills as he liked to call them  as Akabayashi had decided to demonstrate just how effective a simple whack to the head with a cane could be.

 

Currently, Walker was already chuckling at Togusa’s messages flooding the chat concerning his idol.

 

Akabayashi was still regarding the giant metal casing that was supposed to pass as a bomb as he wondered what it looked like on the inside.

He also, again, wondered exactly who this villain was, since he obviously had a grudge against the Awakusu-kai, wanting to blow up their office that was used merely as a cover-up for their other ‘not so legal’ activities.

 

If this person knew the real headquarters, that might’ve gotten ugly. He was sure Shiki-san and the others were enjoying New year’s eve there.

He himself would have to go check in soon, as well.

 

“I’m going to go join my colleagues now, if you don’t mind, Yumasaki-san.” He announced comfortably.

Walker gave him his typical cheery smile “Sure thing, I’ll keep watch here!” He responded gingerly, glancing at the villain's henchman gagged and bound up shape laying to the side.

 

“I’ll stay in touch through the chat.” The Red Demon said as he extended his hand to Walker, who shook it eagerly, yet kept it somewhat formal.

 

“It was nice working with you and your friends.” Akabayashi added before receiving an enthusiastic nod from walker.

“I must say, working with the Awakusu’s Red Demon was a true honor!” Walker added happily.

 

Said Red Demon gave a little amused scoff before walking off lazily, cane at his side.

He was glad he didn’t have to wash any blood off of it today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“OH GOD, stop doing that! You might set it off!”

“It’s fine! Stop panicking!”

“I CANNOT DIE BEFORE I KNOW RURI-SAMA IS SAFE!”

 

‘Honestly, these idiots…’ Kadota thought miserably as he watched Erika inspect the bomb in front of their noses a bit too profoundly while Togusa was still crying over the news they just received.

Shizuo was already on his way to the concert, however and even though Kadota knew the guy wasn't much of a team player, he had faith in the man’s success.

So there was no need to _explode_ over it all. But well, this was Togusa…

 

[Kanra: Are you guys done yet?]

[IloveBeanies: Err, Yaoigirl is still ‘inspecting’ the bomb.]

[Ruri’sPrince: SHE KEEPS GROPING IT FOR NO REASON.]

[Kanra: Just put the damn thing on it, please.]

 

“I wanna know where the buzzing sound comes from!” Erika whined. Kadota hoped that Walker wasn’t ‘harassing’ the bomb he just took care of like this as well.

 

“Playtime’s over.” He decided, putting the device on the bomb’s panel. He swiftly gave the command to Izaya and soon enough the buzzing disappeared, leaving Erika utterly disappointed.

“Aaaawww.” She pouted.

“It’s a fucking bomb, it’s not a fluffy toy or something for fuck sake.” Togusa exclaimed a bit annoyed whilst still moping over Ruri.

 ‘Oh god no.’ Kadota thought in dismay as Togusa starting crying ‘manly’ tears again. They tried to soothe him to no avail.

 

Oh well, at least their old school would still stand for the next year, in any case.

 

He wondered why the villain would target Raijin Middle School specifically though. Maybe he was an ex-student with a grudge or something? It’s not like there were any people around the school at this time, in any case.

 

No ‘secret’ New-year school parties...

 

He sighed and glanced at his watch.

 

It was already past 23:30 PM now.

 

Time was running out.

 

‘You better succeed Shizuo…for everyone’s sake’

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo was running like a madman, countless doom-scenarios in his head as he thought about his brother, Ruri and all those other people at the concert enjoying themselves, clueless of the danger.

He almost didn’t register his phone going off in his pocket before he realized that he wasn’t part of the chat room. He’d have no idea how to find the bomb once he got at the concert.

 

So that meant…

 

“Shizuo? Can you hear me?”

 

An odd feeling overtook him as old nemesis' voice registered in his mind. The fact that Izaya just called him by his full name nearly made him trip over his own feet.

He didn't know whether to be glad or freaked out about it.

   

“Y-yeah! I’m almost at the concert.” He responded after a moment, pushing away his thoughts at the oddness of the situation.

 

He soon arrived at the back of the stadium.

A mix of the music and the public’s cheering was evident as it soared through the air.

 

“Alright, I’m at the backside” Shizuo informed Izaya.

“See any security?” the Flea questioned.

When Shizuo didn't see anyone standing guard, he easily sneaked inside one of the entrances, entering the large building. He searched around for a bit, hiding behind panels and sticking out his head to inspect his surroundings. He didn’t catch any movement at first, but then he caught a glimpse of a foot sticking out of a corner.

As he neared it, he quickly discovered it belonged to a guard, lying unconscious on the floor.

“Found a guard, knocked out cold though.”

“Looks like we hit the jackpot, they probably put the bomb as deep as possible, though.” Izaya responded smoothly.

“So be careful, they might still be there.” He added.

 

Shizuo sneaked his way further, watchful for any suspicious movement. He cursed himself slightly for not dressing up in black completely. His bartender uniform wasn't exactly a great camouflage.

As he suddenly heard voices approach, he quickly hid behind a wall.

“Did you see Makoto? He’s not at his post.” He heard a man question in an annoyed voice.

“Ah, he’s probably on the toilet again, I told him not to eat so much of those noodles, he’s not used to spicy food.” Another guy joked.

 

‘They must be other guards on duty tonight’ Shizuo concluded.

 

He decided to go forward through another path and before he knew it, he ended up backstage where he encountered a couple of giggling girls putting on make-up. They waved at the blond when they saw him.

“My, my I didn’t know we had a performance concerning bartenders tonight.” One girl said while the other winked at him before adding “A handsome one at that.”

 

Shizuo was blushing profoundly at their comments and he didn’t even want to know what the Flea at the other end of the line was thinking. There was no way he hadn’t heard that.

 

“You sure picked out the right time to flirt, I must say.” Came the expected giddy comment through the phone and Shizuo couldn't help but grumble in annoyance.

 

“Uh, did you guys perhaps see anyone carrying a large box or something like that around here?” He quickly asked the girls as they put on a thoughtful face.

“Ah, yes now that you mention it, some guys were here a short while ago with a last minute firework delivery, it's in the stock room.” One girl answered as she pointed to said place.

 

Shizuo thanked them a bit hastily before making his way to the apparent stock room, "Don't take to long or you'll miss the countdown!" one of the girls called after him cheerfully. He then glanced at his watch and nearly froze as he saw the time.

There were only 5 minutes left.

As his heart shook with tremors, he glanced around the messy stock room in panic.

 

“Do you have eyes on it?” came the impatient voice in his ear.

 

“No! Yes? There’s so many fucking boxes in here, I don’t know where to begin!” Shizuo hollered in frustration, drawing a flinch from the man at the other side of the phone. It elicited a sudden feeling of tightness in his chest, an unwanted wave of regret, but he could hardly concentrate on it as he started tearing down the casing of any box he could get his hands on.

 

“Calm down, if you get too fed up you might accidentally set it off, al right?” Izaya’s calm voice cut through his panicking mind.

“There has to be one that looks out of the ordinary…”

 

And just like that, it suddenly downed on Shizuo how _surreal_ the situation was.

Here he was, being guided by the man who was once his worst enemy and now his supposed ally, helping him to stop an outright disaster from happening.

Helping him from saving his family...

 

Shizuo took a moment to breathe in deeply, to calm his senses before he looked around the room again with focused eyes.

 

He saw it then, one of the boxes with a different casing, wood coloured just a tad lighter than the others.

He carefully took it apart, revealing the familiar metal case of that which he was looking for.

 

“Okay, got it! What do I do now?”

 

He heard Izaya sigh in relief before replying.

“Take the device Celty gave you and just place it with the flat side on the computer panel. There should be a little screen somewhere, underneath that is fine.”

 

Shizuo listened intently, rummaging his pocket to find the device.

 

“Hey, you!” Came a sudden shout behind him. It was the guard he heard talking earlier, looking perplexed and also rather furious.

“How did you get in here?!” The man continued sternly.

 

‘Shit!’ Shizuo's mind cursed as he quickly fumbled with the device.

He had to attach it _no matter what._

 

“Did you do it?!” Izaya asked urgently, probably aware that Shizuo was just busted.

 

Right at that moment he pushed the device at its designated place a bit forcefully, luckily it didn’t crack.

 

“Done!” He yelled through the phone before the guard was in his face, pointing a gun at him and telling him to explain himself at once.

 

Shizuo dropped his phone without hesitation and raised his hands in surrender.

Before he could open his mouth however, another voice joined in, one far more familiar.

 

“Brother? What are you doing here?”

 

The guard as well as Shizuo himself were surprised by Kasuka’s appearance.

 

“Brother?” The guard mimicked then, before he realized his mistake. “M-My apologies sir!” he quickly stuttered to Shizuo as he immediately lowered his gun, looking horrified.

“Uh, it’s fine, really...” Shizuo mumbled in response as he let his hands fall down at his sides again.

 

“Yuhei-san, shouldn’t you get ready for stage? The countdown for the new year will start soon!” the guard then asked Kasuka, slightly confused.

 

Before Kasuka could answer however, several squeals came from the other room.

They all moved there in a hurry at the panicked sound and Shizuo soon saw the girls from earlier staring at the television that stood in the corner of the room with wide eyes.

 

“What the hell is this?!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Izaya let himself fall back into his chair as he stretched out like a cat again, letting out a long sigh that spoke of exhaustion.

 

That had been a real close one.

 

Luckily, Shizuo had persevered. That bomb would've probably made the most casualties otherwise. Not to mention Shizuo’s brother and Izaya’s own sisters. His eyes softened as he chuckled slightly at the thought of them squealing out their lungs at every glimpse of Kasuka that they could get.

 

[Kanra: Shizuo succeeded.] He replied to the others in the chat room, smirking at their joyous response.

Perhaps Togusa would finally stop spamming the place now that his idol was safe.

 

He blinked his eyes tiredly and his weariness downed on him again.

‘I should’ve brought coffee with me…’

 

Hearing Shizuo’s voice through the phone had stressed him out more than he’d like to admit. It frustrated him, the way his mind and body responded to the other's mere voice. Frowning, he flicked his eyes to the chatroom again.

 

[Ilovebeanies: Wait a second, it’s 5 bombs in total right? Where’s the last one?]

[Ruri’sPrince: Shit, you’re right! And we’re nearly out of time!]

[Setton: What do we do, Kanra?]

 

Ah that’s right.

He hadn't told them about the last bomb yet.

Which was actually rather close to him. In fact, it was closest to the man they were beating in his own game.

 

It was in the orphanage itself.

He supposed that Akai having his own little fail-safe was to be expected, in case he got busted.

 

Izaya was really happy that he hadn’t just barged in there now.

 

Akai would have no idea that the bombs had been shut down, however. Their locations were still very clear on the map, he had made sure of that.

It would be a complete ‘surprise’.

 

[Kanra: Relax, everyone.] He decided to calm everyone’s nerves despite feeling amused at their reactions. Humans always responded in the most unpredictable ways in the face of danger and panic, after all.

 

Before he could explain further however, Erika was flooding the chat with her own messages.

 

[Yaoigirl4ever: Guys, guys! Check the news channel, quick!]

[Yaoigirl4ever: Any channel is fine actually!]

 

At that, Izaya immediately went to investigate, his curiosity pushing away any symptoms of fatigue.

He soon discovered that all channels had been overwritten, the view nothing but a black haze.

Izaya then realized he was staring at a room that looked a little too familiar. In its center, a man’s silhouette was visible, light shining at his back like a halo.

 

[Akuma: Interesting…]

[Ruri’sPrince: What the hell am I looking at?]

 

 

**“Good evening, Ikebukuro.”**

 

 

A heavy voice emitted through the room and carried out further into the streets of the city.

 

An amused stretch formed upon Izaya’s lips.

 

‘Oh, this makes everything  _so_ much better’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the moment the man’s voice rang throughout the city, an unnerving silence dominated every living room, every café, every square, every nook and corner where the dreaded sound had reached.

And as it did, it wrung its way into the mindset of every person, ending up into an array of feelings that could be described as _alarming_ in the least.

 

Russia Sushi was no exception, but the man going by the name of Simon Brezhnev did not feel as alarmed as the others as Akai's ‘greeting’ resounded through the restaurant from the television standing on the counter.

He merely settled for a knowing smile as a certain raven and his ‘little team’ swam through his mind. Dennis just looked at him with raised eyebrows before continuing to roll his sushi as if he weren't bothered by the happening at all. 

'This city, honestly...'

 

Every other person’s eyes, however, was glued to either their phones, televisions or the big screens spread throughout the city.

 

They were all staring at the man whose face they could not see, yet whose voice could be heard clear as day as it carried with the wind, shook the ground and tickled cloth as well as naked skin.

 

 **“I sure hope I’m not _ruining_ anyone’s party.”** It came again, a dark chuckle not far behind.

 

 **“It must be nice, looking forward to a new year, filled with new goals. Oh yes, like a new beginning…”** The distorted voice continued, tone light yet biting with a certain edge.

 

Celty, whom was still guarding the bomb at the busy sunshine square, gazed upon the screen in curiosity, listening as the man continued his one-way conversation.

Shooter snorted behind her in dismay.

‘Is this...Akai?’

 

 **“I remember the time where I could be like that as well…just…doing what I like, carelessly, no worries lingering my mind...”** The man trailed of, seemingly lost in himself for a moment.

 

 **“But that was all taken away from me and all I did was make some mistakes, some _little_ mistakes…”** dread seeped into his voice. **“And now I have _nothing_.”**

 

 **“Yet, I am the same as you. Just another human being trying to find his place in this world, deserving of all the same things you all have.”** The man pointed an accusing finger as he spoke the bitter words.

 

Celty looked around the square, at the countless people that were intimidated by the unknown voice. 

 

 **“And still, I have been used as nothing as a puppet, a _tool_ for others to achieve their selfish goals!” **The man continued angrily, losing his calm composure he was able to sustain before as he flailed his arms up in a ruse and turned his back towards the camera.

 

He stilled for a moment then and let his arms drop down unceremoniously as he spoke his next words, tone dangerously low.

 

**“But now, the tables have turned…”**

 

He moved to the side as he turned around, revealing a screen which was the source of light behind him.

**“I’ve got a little new year’s present for you, Ikebukuro”**

He smirked into the words, his lips, now visible, stretching across his face in an insane grin.

**“I do hope you all like _Fireworks_.”**

 

The chuckle that followed send shivers through Celty’s spine and it shook the crowd as the people’s murmurs became louder and louder, confusion and worry spreading like a disease.

 

She was absolutely positive now that this man she was regarding was _disturbed_ , to say the least.

 

But she steeled her mind. There was no way these ‘Fireworks’ were going to succeed.

They had made sure of that. Izaya had told her to relax and so, she tried to do just that.

She had faith in her team, after all.

 

 **“Look!”** The man suddenly exclaimed a bit too happily, pointing to the large screen behind him.

 

**“It’s almost time to _celebrate_!” **

 

Sure enough, the numbers counting down to midnight were displayed neatly on the screen as Akai started reading them loud and clear, ground trembling with the promise of decay. 

 

 

**“10”**

 

 

As if waking up, everyone felt something thug harshly at their hearts. The alarming feeling of _wrongness_ flooding the cold winter air.

 

 

**“9”**

 

Celty and Shooter looked around their position, witnessing the panic that overtook the crowd. She wasn’t sure what she could to calm their minds…

 

Instead of her shadows, she now wished she had a voice.

 

 

**“8”**

 

Erika, Kadota and Togusa were looking at the screen of the tiny television in their van with wide eyes.

Even though they had faith that the danger was neutralized, they couldn't help but feel nervous at the man’s malicious words. Every recited number felt like a punch to the chest.

‘Izaya was right...’ Kadota thought sadly.

 

‘This man just wants a full-out drama.’

 

 

**“7”**

 

 

Even Walker, who was still at the Awakusu-kai’s gallery felt the undeniable doubt lingering in his chest.

Should he get away from the bomb? Was it truly safe?

Could he truly trust Orihara Izaya?

 

 

**“6”**

 

 

Shizuo put a reassuring hand on Kasuka’s shoulder as they listened to the man counting down the numbers as well as the panicking crowd inside of the stadium. His brother looked up at him in slight surprise.

“It will be okay, don’t worry.” The words came out less convincing than he wanted them to be.

 

 

**“5”**

 

 

Inside the respected establishment of the Awakusu-kai it was eerily quiet however, as everyone, Shiki and Akabayashi included, were staring intently at the television screen. The Red Demon merely brushed his hand through Akane’s purple strands reassuringly as the girl fisted his blazer with worry lingering on her face.

 

 

**“4”**

 

Meanwhile many people had started throwing their food, cups and all sorts of other things at the man on the screen, littering and cracking the image while screaming bloody murder.

“You think this is funny asshole?!” they yelled in vain, for the man could not hear them.

 

 

**“3”**

 

 

The villain himself, however, was basking in the chaos he just birthed as he kept counting down with an insatiable joy in his voice that, to Izaya, sounded a bit forced in his opinion.

The raven wasn’t far from being in the same spirits however, although for a completely different reason.

 

 

**“2”**

 

 

What was meant to be a relaxing new year’s eve with her lover and friends turned out the be a nightmare for Sonohari Anri as she felt the unmistakable fear and panic from Saika’s children surge through her mind.

Next to her, Mikado, Kida and Saki were looking just as shocked at the scene outside as police officers swarmed by with sirens ringing through the streets.

 

 

  **“1”**

 

 

Inside of the stadium, two forms huddled close to each other in the mass of the rampaging crowd, ignoring what was happening around them.  

“Whatever happens, I’m right here with you Kururi.” Mairu spoke to her somewhat older twin as she hugged her close.

“Sister…thank you.”

 

 

Alone and powerless in his apartment, Shinra could only watch as the counter fell down to 0.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really looked forward to writing this chapter (as well as the next) but it turned out to be the hardest one till now, which doesn't take away that it was really fun to do, of course.  
> I just hope you enjoyed it as well ^^ (I know some of you probably want lots of explosions, but who knows eh? *evil laughter*)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	9. In The Darkness I Will Meet My Creators

 

 

Eyes closed and ears strained, Izaya waited patiently for any kind of suspicious sound to reach him through the barrier that was glass and cement.

The smirk on his lips kept creeping higher and higher as silent seconds flew by.

 

**_“Boom!”_ **

 

Akai had yelled rather childishly when the countdown reached zero, throwing up his arms in the air, completely lost in his own godlike ruse.

 

As the realization that no explosion could be heard in the distance dawned upon him however, he suddenly slacked in his joyous composure, turning around hastily to the screens at his back, eyes focusing in on the the dots still blinking happily on the map.

 

The mere imagination of the man’s face at that moment was enough to get Izaya’s mind swirling with ecstasy in typical laughter.

 

 

Elsewhere, the city’s center was ruled by an eerie silence before people realized that everything was still in one piece. They regarded each other left and right, looking each other in the eye in confirmation of safety.

Celty herself nearly caved in from the relief she felt as the bomb next to her was still just standing there in one piece. It was but an ugly present underneath the Christmas tree now. Shooter quickly came to her aid, supporting her with his neck.

‘Shinra, we did it...’ She thought contently as she caressed her horse’s neck.

 

Sure enough, the chatroom was flooded with everyone’s exclamations of victory.

 

[Yaoigirl4ever: WE DID IT! YESSSSSSSS!]

[Akuma: Good job, kiddos!]

[Ruri’sPrince: You too old man!]

[Katon!: Nicuuuuuu!]

[IloveBeanies: Phew, I think my heart nearly exploded.]

 

Celty chuckled in delight at their messages.

 

[Setton: Good job guys!]

 

Finally feeling somewhat relaxed, she looked up towards the stars above her for a moment as she remembered who had made this all possible. She returned her attention to the chat again, typing her next message.

 

[Setton: Thank you Kanra, we couldn’t have done this without you.]

 

[Ruri’sPrince: Yeah, guess you ain’t half bad after all!]

[Akuma: :) ]

[Yaoigirl4ever: I never doubted Iza-iza! Mwahahaha]

[Ruri’sPrince: Liar!]

[Katon!: We’ll have to celebrate with more Sushi!]

 

 

She looked around her to the crowd of people now all hugging each other in relief and joy, the beginning of the new year on itself forgotten except for a couple of drunks who were dancing with each other in slurred singing.

 

The man on the screen however, was struck in shock as he stared at the screens behind him.

 **“No”** he started in disbelief.

**“No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!”**

He frantically bashed his fingers on a keyboard underneath the lit screens.

**“This isn’t right, something must be wrong!”**

 

People regarded the man in slight fear again as he started to wipe things of his desk angrily, cursing as he did so.

A ringing sound then made the man freeze in his actions, it echoed from the speakers into the city’s streets for everyone to hear.

 

The man on the screen kept still as the seconds dragged on, slowly reaching into his pocket and taking out the phone which was the culprit of the sound. He merely stared at the thing as if gathering courage before flicking it open.

 

 **“Finally!”** A mischievous voice sounded from the other side.

**“I was starting to think you weren’t going to pick up.”**

Akai flinched audibly at the words, slightly shaken with contempt.

 **“Who is this?”** he bit out sternly.

 

 **“Haha, so direct!”** The amused voice came again.

 

**“Well, if you want to find out, why don’t you come join me outside on this nice winter evening?”**

 

Akai’s angry shaking seized abruptly at the words.

 

**“Unless you’re a coward, of course.”**

 

And with that, the man at the other line of the phone hung up with a small beep.

 

 

Celty kept staring at the big screen in disbelief, processing the scene she had just witnessed, the sounds of chat messages popping in a mere blur.

 

 

[IloveBeanies: Kanra, are you still there?]

[IloveBeanies: ...Izaya?]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Shizuo was sure he had never been so scared before in his life.

At the end, even Kasuka, whom rarely expressed emotions, was clearly showing some form of fear on his face when the guy counted down to the inevitable zero. The two girls among many other people had started screaming in terror, nearly making him go deaf.

 

Thankfully, they stopped when they realized nothing had gone ‘BOOM’ and Shizuo had sighed out of relief so utterly deep, he thought his lungs were going to spill out together with the air escaping from between his lips.

 

“Brother, what was that about?” Kasuka then asked, his face typically impassive again. Shizuo could tell he still wasn’t at ease, however.

 

“Ugh, where do I start?” The blond grumbled out, then he thought about the bomb still sitting there in the stock room next to them.

“The crazy guy on the screen placed bombs all over the city, one is right here that room but I disabled it, so it’s safe now!” He did a quick explanation while putting on his best smile and presenting a thumbs-up.

Everyone just looked at him as if he had grown another head.

 

“I’m serious! Go look for yourselves!”

 

At that request, the guard from earlier hastily moved to the stock room, followed by some curious performers.

 

As Kasuka hurried towards a somewhat shocked Ruri who finally came down from the stage, Shizuo was already entranced by what was happening on the television again.

 

There, the man or ‘Akai’ as he knew him, was having a phone conversation in obvious contempt.

 

Despite the present sound distortion, he almost instantly recognized the voice coming from the other end of the phone.

 

His eyes widened with every word he caught, an unsettling feeling pooled in his stomach.

 

‘Izaya…’

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Tiny snowflakes started dazzling down from the sky, falling straight to the floor due to the lack of wind.

 

Izaya didn’t grant them any attention this time, however, as he was too focused on the giant doors of the orphanage peering up in front of him.

Ah yes, he had finally found the perfect moment to call Akai’s number. It had been as amusing as he predicted it would be.

He had been doubtful about recognizing the guy’s voice before but now he was certain.

 

It was time to see if his suspicion was true.

 

 

He’d already transmitted everything he had on the case to the police, making sure that it got into the hands of a specific man named  Kuzuhara Kinnosuke, a cop he knew was trustworthy.

The information would be safe in his hands.

 

He let a smirk mar his now mask-less face as he shivered slightly in the unmerciful winter air.

 

‘Come out of your den now, little lion...’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The man known by the name of Akai remained frozen for a moment as he processed the short conversation that had just taken place, phone still pressed a bit roughly against his ear.

‘That voice…’  He thought bitterly.

‘It’s not possible…’

 

Resolutely, he quickly climbed up the old stairs leading to the main hall of the orphanage, the camera that was still rolling in his hide-out already long forgotten.

He stood in front of the two doors with a tremble, unsure if it was due to the rush of adrenaline his muscles were twitching or due to the rage he felt at the man who was waiting behind them.

 

He breathed in deeply and hardened his eyes before pushing them open, revealing the slight flutter of snow cascading down from the dark sky, as well as the man who had ruined his plans.

 

His eyes widened profoundly at the recognition of the fur coat, those red piercing eyes and a smirk that spoke more a thousand words.

 

“You…” He hardly recognized his own voice as it came out of his mouth, tone utterly unbelieving as he stared at the man standing there so relaxed in front of the small playground that centred the square.

 

“How?” He nearly roared with contempt.

 

“How am I alive?” The raven replied coyly, smirk never leaving his face as the next words were added with that typical touch of playfulness.

“How careless of you, Nakura-kun… You never witnessed me actually dying, did you?”  

 

Nakura grinded his teeth harshly, his heart filling up with rage.

 

All this time… When he thought he was finally free…And now _this._

 

“Did you honestly think I would just let you do this to my precious humans? Make them scramble in fear? Watch them die by something so distastefully artificial?” Izaya continued, an edge of displeasure clear in his voice.

 

Nakura flinched.

“Bullshit! What would you even care? Whether they live or crawl or get burned alive, it was always the same to you!” He yelled angrily. “They’ve always been nothing but toys...” He finished, hardening his glare even more.

 

Izaya was frowning at him now, looking oddly dissatisfied. It didn’t last long before he put on his trademark smirk again, however.

 

“I think you mean _you’ve_ always been my toy, Nakura-kun, much like right now, no?”

 

And then all Nakura saw was red.

 

 

This man in front of him made him suffer his entire life after he made _one_ stupid mistake.

 

This man had just ruined all his plans at revenge, at _escape_.

 

This man had just come back from the dead.

 

And Nakura vowed to send him right back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Izaya's eyes widened in surprise as the other sped towards him in an unpredicted flash.

 

He pulled the flick-blade from his pocket right in time to block his brown-haired copycat’s own incoming swipe. Blades clashed as they shone against each other’s edges.

 

They soon found themselves enraptured in a duel whilst shifting all over the playground in but flashes of movement.

 

“I see you’ve been _busy_.” Izaya taunted Nakura, implying his sudden acquired set of skills.

“Stop acting like you know everything about me!” Came the angry reply.

 

Izaya was slightly impressed, but sadly for Nakura, he came nowhere close to the raven’s speed when it came to things like this, even with his 'handicapped' situation.

It was just a matter of time before Nakura was getting slashed left and right in his shortcoming agility. In the flurry, however, Izaya himself sustained some cuts as well, but none severe enough to elicit concern.

 

He didn’t want to make it too messy however, he had no intention of killing the man before him.

He was just going to make sure he wouldn’t be able to escape justice, It would be so typical for the old Nakura to run away with his tail between his legs.

 

This Nakura though… he wasn’t so sure.

Any other time, Izaya would’ve been intrigued by the unpredictable changes in behaviour but something was fishy about it all.

He never would have given Nakura the guts to pull something like this off.

Nor the required amount of planning.

 

“So, who’s little puppet are you now if I might ask?” Izaya’s snide question passed through his lips as he crouched down to dodge an incoming swipe that went over his head, swiftly following up with a forceful kick to the other’s abdomen as a counterattack.

 

Nakura stumbled back, trying to regain his balance. He was breathing harshly now, but so was Izaya, the thrill of the fight overtaking them both.

 

Never breaking eye contact, the lion and the raven circled around each other like two stalking predators as the snow fell down to the Earth around them.

 

“What makes you think I didn’t do all of this by myself?” Nakura bit back defiantly.

 

Izaya couldn’t restrain from laughing in response, spirits peaking ever so high.

He realized it only fed Nakura’s anger however and maybe that wasn’t in his best interest for now.

 

Anger might blind. But it also pushes you onwards, makes you do things you wouldn’t be capable of doing otherwise.

But first and foremost, he needed answers.

 

“Fine, don’t tell me then, take the punishment for what you’ve done all by yourself, like the puppet you’ve _always_ been” Izaya said next, belittling the other.

 

Nakura flinched and growled, obviously annoyed by his taunt.

“How dare you…” he started lowly. “I finally had a chance at freedom, a new life! After this, I would've been able to start over from scratch!”

 

Izaya hummed at him. “Oh, so it’s the promise of another make-over then? Or money perhaps?” he pecked at the other.

 

“Shut up!” The other exclaimed angrily before engaging carelessly at Izaya again, whom simply ducked out of the way from the knife. With quick precision, he sliced right back at the other’s blade, successfully flicking it out of Nakura’s hand and rendering him unarmed.

 

‘Oh well, I can always just find out the details later.’ Izaya compromised as he wasted no time in pulling out a prepared tranquilizer from underneath his sleeve, aiming the needle straight for his prey.

 

The seconds that followed passed by in near slow motion as Nakura drew something from the inside of his coat in quick response, a mere glistening to Izaya’s vision.

He should’ve seen it coming, should've known it wouldn't be that simple and was startled as Nakura slashed at the tranquilizer in his hand, liquid and broken glass falling to the ground, lost in the building snow.

Before he could recover from the action, the other pounced on Izaya, effectively pushing him onto the ground. Izaya’s knife cluttered to the ground on impact as Nakura’s weight bore down on him.

 

Being flung down to the ground like that stirred up particularly bad memories.

‘Now’s not the time!’ He berated himself in frustration as he quickly shifted underneath Nakura’s weight, bucking him up to deliver a kick to the stomach.

Nakura merely hissed at the impact, unyielding as Izaya’s incoming punch to his face was blocked by his own hand.

 

As Izaya’s wrist got forced down to the floor, he tried finding another opening, another way to retaliate but his thoughts of action were cut short as an excruciating pain erupted from his palm.

Hissing, he regarded the dagger pinning him down, pierced clean through his wrist through flesh and bone, blood oozing out around the edges.

He barely registered his other wrist being held down next to his head until Nakura wrapped his free hand around his throat, eyes staring down at his own, wide and wickedly.

 

“What was it you always said? Don’t underestimate me?” He mocked Izaya harshly, a dangerous smirk on his face as he pressed down on the thin neck underneath him.

 

Internally cursing at himself, Izaya realized that Nakura was right. First his movement had been taken away and now his voice, most likely the only weapon that was still useful in his situation. His deadly glare probably wasn’t even acknowledged by the enraged man above him.

Only now did he regret not calling for back-up immediately...

 

“No longer will I be used by you, understand?!” Nakura screamed in anger, his hand pushing just as powerfully as his words against his already painful throat.

His lungs were starting to burn, begging for oxygen to fill them.

‘This is bad.’ his mind kept repeating urgently as Nakura roared at him through wicked teeth, Izaya unable to throw him off despite his kicking and squirming.

‘This is _really_ bad.’

 

Vision blurring and strength faltering even more, Izaya honestly couldn’t see a way out.

 

“If only it wasn’t for fucking Shinra that day! If only I would’ve just ended you right then and th-

 

The weight as well as the pressure on his throat suddenly disappeared and Izaya reflexively breathed in too deeply, causing him to go into a coughing fit.

He instinctively tried to sit up, but was remembered by the dagger pinning him down at his wrist as a harsh sting of pain rode all the way up his arm to the nape of his neck. He clenched his teeth harshly as he rolled onto his side instead, trying to relocate his enemy.

 

There was Nakura alright, laying on the floor now quite a distance away, next to a toppled over trash bin.

 

‘What the hell...’

 

He then became aware of the harsh breathing on the other side of the square as he swept his eyes to the one who had saved him from sure asphyxiation.

 

‘Shizuo?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

He remembered running, guided purely by his senses.

He remembered picking up that particular smell in the air, faint but _there_.

He remembered following it much like a hunting dog would, leading him all the way to the outskirts of the city.

 

So now, here he was.

 

He hadn’t even realized he’d picked up and thrown the trash bin until it hit the guy that was holding Izaya down, making him fly a profound distance before roughly hitting the floor.

 

Shizuo was sure the face he was pulling right now was not pretty to look at.

 

He started moving again, taking large strides towards his newfound prey. That prey being the man who had endangered this city, its people, his friends and even his _family_.

 

He was snapped out of his thoughts for a moment by the sound of coughing to his left.

 

When his and Izaya’s eyes met, everything seemed to stop for a moment.

He quickly took in his state before flicking back to pained eyes that widened as he stared at him.

 

“Don’t let him escape!” Izaya suddenly bit out at him hoarsely.

 

It sounded more like a warning then a command, but Shizuo obeyed nonetheless.

It didn’t feel right however, turning away from the Flea while he was laying battered on the floor with a knife pinning him down, a stream of red clear against the snow that made Shizuo's insides blaze with alarms.

 

But Izaya was right. If Akai escaped, then there was not telling what the consequences could be.

 

He focused on said man who just got up from the ground with a pained groan. When he laid eyes on Shizuo’s oncoming form panicked flickered through eyes as he hastily backed away.

 

“You?! Why the hell are _you_ here?” Akai sputtered incredulously before looking around frantically, probably looking for something to use as a weapon.

Not being very successful in that, he turned and ran in a poor attempt to get away from the blond. Shizuo just kept striding after him however, eyes dangerously narrow.

 

Akai’s steps suddenly faltered as none other than The Headless Rider herself appeared in front of him, Shooter’s tires screeching to a halt against the snow-coated street.

Shizuo grinned. There was no escape now.

 

“You really think we would just let you get away with what you’ve tried to do?” He spoke harshly.

“You make me sick!” He added before running at Akai with a pulled fist that hit the man straight in the face. Once more the man was soaring through the sky before landing unceremoniously in the middle of the road, creating a small crater.

 

Celty then surrounded the guy with her shadows, a clear warning to not make any sudden moves.

 

“I’ll never forgive you…any of you…” Akai responded hoarsely after spitting out blood, a grin eating away at his face.

 

Then, Shizuo noticed the phone gleaming in the man’s hand.

 

“Celty!” he yelled, and she responded immediately, her shadows moving in lighting speed.

It was too late however, as a lone beep resounded through the air.

 

Not even a second later, a tremor was running underneath them, accompanied by a deafening sound and an overwhelming heat emerging at Shizuo’s backside.

Celty’s shadows swooped over him in the blink of a second, protecting him from the wave of rubble and dust washing over them like a wave.

 

‘Motherfucking piece of shit!’ Shizuo’s mind grumbled angrily as he realized Akai just blew up some building close-by. Only till Celty pulled back her shadows did Shizuo see the large building a little way’s off in flames.

 

There was no time to concentrate on that, however as he and Celty both looked around agitatedly through the guise of the dust.

 

Shizuo then registered the sound of feet hitting the pavement and he soon saw Akai’s form running through the haze.

He grumbled angrily as he moved to pursue him, but then the guy was suddenly kicked nastily in the abdomen by a certain horse’s hoof.

 

As soon as the guy hit the ground again, Celty enwrapped him tightly in her shadows.

 

“No! Let me go you piece of shit! I won’t let you stop me!” The guy yelled, fear more clear in his voice than anger. Celty decided to shut him up, wrapping the shadows around his mouth, much like duck-tape.

 

Shizuo's anger only died out as Celty put a knowing hand on his shoulder. He knew kicking the guy's ass into oblivion wasn't going to make things any better... but still...

Shooter merely snorted at the man in slight pity as he pulled his hoof at the snow again.

 

The guy had obviously gone mad, still trying to yell at them through the gag.

 

He sighed at the disgraceful image. The chase was over now, he realized.

Soon enough, the police would be here to take Akai into custody and he and his friends could be at peace.

 

As if waking up, Shizuo’s mind then flickered back to Izaya in worry, he realized that he was still laying there on the floor, bleeding and without protection from the blast.

 

“I’m going to check on the Flea, you got this right?” He quickly asked Celty and got a stern nod in response.

 

And so he was running once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Nakura, you bastard….” Izaya thought miserably.

The orphanage was blown to bits, after all.

 

He supposed he was lucky with his position, had he been closer to the now demolished building, he might’ve gotten hit by large pieces of debris. It had been exciting enough that one piece missed him by mere inches to his left, demolishing the old swing.

 

A black wave of ash had passed over him though, turning the playground in even more of a mess and him with it.

Now covered in both dust, little pickles of debris as well as dirtied snowflakes, Izaya just tried concentrating on his breathing and his heartbeat whilst staring at the burning building in front of him.

Someone would come for him soon enough, he knew he just needed to calm down and keep the oxygen flowing through his system.

 

It was already hard enough to _not_ focus on the dagger stabbing him down. The rubber tiles of the playground proved to be an advantage for Nakura as Izaya was sure it would be hard to remove the dagger from the rough surface, then again, it was probably better not to touch it at all.

A concerning amount of blood had already seeped through the wound and Izaya tried not to worry about his fingers going numb, but that could just as well be due to the cold.

His left leg was also stinging now, one of Nakura’s slices was deeper than he first thought, the loss of his blood not as easily perceived on the dark clothing.

 

He closed his eyes, despite knowing he should keep them open. It was easier to ignore his dizziness this way.

 

Then, a different kind of vibration than that of the previous explosion was passing through the ground and soon the sound of footsteps crunching in fresh snow reached his ears.

Opening his eyes and looking up to the source, his breath was cut short.

 

All he saw was the crumpled, dirtied bartender uniform and the soft tinge of blond through the grey haze and his heartbeat kicked up again, energy flooding his system as his pupils narrowed.

 

‘He’s coming closer...’ He realized, muscles clenching up in anticipation.

 

It was too similar, this situation.

 

It was the same as on that night, when he was up there, in that building, smashed through the window, lying in a heap on the floor with blood surrounding him.

 

‘He’s coming to finish me off.’ The same thought that seared through his mind back then was repeated like a tantrum in his mind.

 

His first thought was escape as he as he tried to sit up and shove himself backwards, but the painful snag at his wrist reminded him once again that he was stuck in place.

He didn’t even hesitate _once_ before pulling the dagger out as it seared through his own flesh and bones again with a forceful snag, adrenaline providing him with the needed strength to tuck it loose from the tiles underneath.

Unnoticed, It landed somewhere to his right with a small clang as he was already scooting backwards as quickly and as far as he could, his eyes never leaving Shizuo’s as he saw the man had stopped in his approach, looking at Izaya with eyes equally as wide.

 

Then his back hit an object that cracked slightly underneath the force of his impact.

One part of his mind screamed at him to run away while another told him to calm down.

Blinded as he was, Izaya had no idea what side to choose.

Then he realized he hardly _had_ a choice anymore, exhausted as he was, breathing harshly as white puffs of air travelled in front of his once again blurring vision.

 

He could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at the man before him.

 

Shizuo was looking at him as if he’d gone mad, eyes stuck with creased brows at his bleeding wrist that was now laying on his lap, blood seeping out in a concerning amount despite being clenched down on.

“Flea, what the he-“ Shizuo started demandingly as he took another step towards him.

“Don’t!” Izaya’s own voice interrupted, hardly recognizing it himself through the hoarsness.

 

In the back of his mind, a voice kept screaming at him to get a hold of himself, to let his fears go.

 

But as the scenes of the past rummaged before his eyes, Izaya realized that he didn’t want those things to happen again. He didn’t want to make those mistakes anymore. He didn’t want Shizuo to chase after him, to see him like this again.

He didn’t want him to become a _murderer_ anymore.

 

Unknowing of Izaya’s thoughts, Shizuo had stilled once again, arm still held up in the air without purpose, as if he could reach Izaya from his position.

 

“Izaya…” He started, and the he swore he’d never heard Shizuo say his name with such softness.

“I’m not going to hurt you… alright?”

 

What?

 

What was he saying?

 

There’s no way Shizuo just said that…

 

Completely abashed, he didn’t even notice the blond crouching down in front of him, taking his bloodied wrist into his own hands.

“Shit.” Shizuo bit out angrily before he started tearing up his sleeve, ripping it in shreds.

 

There was no way this was happening.

 

His own eyes had to be lying to him.

 

“Why the _fuck_ did you do that?” Shizuo blurted out angrily again as he enwrapped Izaya’s wrist with the strips of cloth. It was strange how Izaya couldn’t feel his hand anymore, yet every time Shizuo’s fingers touched his skin It felt like electricity was coursing through his nerves.

 

He just didn’t understand why Shizuo was doing this.

 

Then again, Izaya was just letting him.

He was letting Shizuo touch the arm he had once broken into hundreds of pieces...

 

 

His hazy thoughts were interrupted as he noticed his vision started to get blurry even more, and that despite having calmed down, his heartbeat was only increasing, banging against his ribs as if panicking.

 

 

‘Ah, I see…’

He realized it then, the familiar feeling.

 

This odd sensation, the dizziness, the nausea, the sick tingling…

 

He was dying.

 

His eyes roamed to the place he had laid only moments before, from his blood staining the playground’s dirt and snow to the lengthy path it dragged to where he was now and the way Shizuo was bandaging and pressuring his bleeding wrist in vain, his own hands now coated with Izaya’s blood as he cursed more things Izaya could hardly register anymore.

 

Soon enough, there wouldn’t be enough blood in his veins to sustain him anymore.

Soon enough, his heart would run dry.

 

Underneath his skin, he was just a mere human, after all.

Fragile.

Weak.

_Tired._

 

It’s not like he wanted to die today.

It’s not like he planned it.

But he didn’t really mind it that much either.

 

In the end, he'd succeeded in his mission, right?

 

Maybe that was what he wanted all along.

To get recognized for doing something others regarded as _good._

To get people who once hated him, despised him, mistrusted him to see him a new light…

 

He thought about his newfound bonds, his sisters, about Kine and Manami.

Would they mourn him?

 

Lastly, he looked at the man in front of him, willing his eyes to focus on Shizuo with the last bits of energy he could scrape together.

He regarded the large hands that were now trying to save his life, the same hands that had once tried to kill him…

 

“Shizuo…” He rasped out as he forced a sad smile on his frozen lips.

 

Frustrated as well as concerned mocha eyes flicked to his own in surprise.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

 

 

He didn’t hear Shizuo call out his name, voice laced with panic.

 

He didn’t feel his shoulders getting shaken in an attempt to wake him up.

 

He didn’t hear the screeching sound of tires scraping over the road.

 

He didn’t feel his body getting hauled up from the ground.

 

 

_‘I’m sorry...'_

 

 

There was only darkness.

 

Bitter, bitter darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 End of Part I: Search For The Sun

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before you slap me (It's okay, I want to slap myself too), check the story tags and calm your mind ;)
> 
> Also, surprise! Did anyone expect it to be Nakura? I turned him into a bitter little asshole though, then again I wouldn't be much different if I got used as a tool for half of my life.  
> And yes, Shooter is secretly the true protagonist of this story, you got me!
> 
> On a more medical note: Hypovolemic shock is what happens when you lose too much blood (or fluids in general) in which your stroke volume (the amount of blood your heart pumps out) will decrease. Your heart will try to compensate by raising the heartbeat/frequency, your breathing rate will increase, fluid-retaining hormones will be released, etc. Of course, if the fluid loss is not contained/fixed then the blood pressure will drop so severely that oxygen doesn't get delivered in the right places (such as the brains) anymore and thus resulting in death as a consequence.  
> Do correct me if I'm wrong. (If other things are unclear, don't be afraid to ask.)
> 
> In any case, thanks again for the comments and kudos! It's always valuable to hear how you experienced the story :)


	10. What Are You Made Of; Water and Glass

 

 

 

 

 

Part II: The Wolf, The Raven and The Snake

 

 

 

 

 

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

 

And for someone who loved the quiet as much as he did, even Shizuo had his limits.

 

The noise coming from the television hardly registered in his mind as he stared at the bland,empty coffee table in front of him. It was only a matter of time, however, before his eyes would be drawn to the naked palms of hands again.

He _knew_ they were clean, he _knew_ the blood was gone but somehow, the red previously coating his skin was still there, image practically in-erasable.

 

Nausea was crawling all over his stomach...

 

Actual spots of blood and dust still lingered on his clothes however and he was probably getting the couch dirty, but for once, he just couldn’t care about that.

Not right now.

 

Willing his eyes away from his hands, he glanced at Kadota whom was sitting next to him in equal silence. The look on his face displayed clear fatigue with a hint of frustration.

The rest of the 'van gang' didn’t look much better.

 

Erika, Walker and Togusa were mainly focused on the television screen, Ikebukuro’s near-tragedy now gold news covering all the channels, reporters doing their story from all corners of the city.

 

“Why did he have to go at it alone?” Togusa suddenly blurted out the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“I thought he always let others do the work for him…”

 

A moment of silence passed before Kadota answered sadly with a sigh.

“Who knows?”

 

“He probably knew the last bomb was there, maybe he wanted to prevent the guy from blowing it all up?” Walker added in thoughtfully, still oddly cheerful despite the situation.

“Still, going at it alone was just a stupid thing to do…” Togusa couldn’t restrain his oddly frustrated response.

 

Shizuo’s gaze just saddened.

 

Yes, Izaya _had_ been rather careless in facing the enemy alone.

But he had been even more so when he'd pulled that dagger from between his own flesh and bones.

 

Still, Shizuo couldn't help but berate himself for letting that happen in the first place.

 

He _knew_ Izaya was afraid of him. He had witnessed it beforehand and still, he just stalked up to him without thinking, without expecting….

Only a little while before, they had been actually talking to each other on the phone and that didn’t appear to be a problem at all.

They had even made eye contact again after that, and Izaya _hadn’t_ reacted that strongly.

 

Shizuo sighed harshly again in frustration, drawing in eyes but he paid them no mind.

 

All he had wanted to do was help, to _give something back_ since it was because of Izaya that he had been able to save Kasuka, to save all those people.

But apparently, the Flea hadn’t perceived it that way…

 

Again, he stared at his hands and the illusionary blood that did not belong to his own veins.

He remembered how Izaya’s wrist just wouldn’t stopfucking _bleeding_ , no matter what he did.

And then, all of that rage, that pent up feeling of helplessness that overcame him that he wasn't sure he had ever discovered before...

 

Not until Izaya had rasped out his name and had _smiled_ at him.

_“I’m sorry.”_

 

Shizuo hadn't understood...but in the next second Izaya’s eyes had closed and his body had gone lax as if he were spineless.

 

Everything that had happened after that was a blur in Shizuo’s mind. The irrational yelling and shaking to no avail. A screeching sound next to them, Kadota and Erika running up to them with shock aligning their faces. Him picking up the Flea in the most careful way he could manage. The car ride that had cost them at least 10 speeding tickets. The debate over where they should go and what place was the closest. The arrival at Shinra’s door. The surprise in said man’s eyes. The blood…

Shizuo shook his head in annoyance.

Every thought was making his head hurt...

 

He shifted his eyes to the hallway, anxiously waiting for Shinra to come out of Izaya’s room.

He was in there for two hours already.

And he honestly didn’t know whether that was a good or a bad sign.

 

At the sound of a door opening, he turned his head to see Celty entering the apartment.

 

The lack of surprise in her stature as she saw them sitting there must mean she already knows, somehow.

 

[I saw the chat once I was done with the cops… How is he?] She expressed, worry clear in her features as her helmet took turns to look at everyone in the room.

 

“We’re not sure yet… Shinra’s still in there...” Kadota replied tiredly whilst rubbing his eyes.

“Shizuo needed to give a lot of blood, though.” Erika added with a frown. At that, Celty turned to look a Shizuo, a bit surprised.

“Damn Flea has the same blood type.” Shizuo merely said, trying to sound annoyed by it, but he was fooling no-one.

 

It’s not like Shinra gave him a choice in the matter, but then again Shizuo wouldn’t have refused anyway.

It was the least he could do...

 

“So, did everything work out?” Kadota asked Celty next, some sense of curiosity seeping back into his voice.

She nodded curtly as she typed her reply.

[That guy won’t see the daylight any time soon, I think.]

 

The sudden creak of a door opening in the hallway caught everyone’s attention as they all sat upright. Shinra soon appeared before them, giving a dramatic sigh as he crumpled up his bloody gloves whilst walking into the room.

“Man, I really need to refill my stock soon…” he mumbled absent-mindedly to himself.

 

He also didn't seem to have noticed Celty standing there until he looked up...

 

“Oh! Celty, you’re finally here!” He exclaimed happily as he rushed to her with outstretched arms, completely oblivious to the anticipating stares he was receiving.

He got stopped rather anti-climatically by Celty’s shadow against his face.

[HUGS CAN WAIT! IS IZAYA OKAY?!] She typed incredulously, smoke steaming out from underneath her helmet.

 

Shinra stopped flailing his arms around at her as he read the words.

“Oh, right!” He exclaimed happily before recomposing himself, doing a little grunt in his fist as if to prepare his annunciation.

‘For real, Shinra?’ Shizuo could only think incredulously as he stared dead-panned at the man.

 

“Well, despite undergoing severe hypovolemic shock due to excessive blood loss, I was able to stabilize him, mostly thanks to Shizuo though.” He announced with a wink at Shizuo.

“So yes, Orihara-kun is fine now!”

 

The room was drowned in sighs of relief and Shizuo had lost count of how many times that had happened today, honestly.

 

“He’s going to be out for a while though…” Shinra added gingerly before finally claiming Celty in a crushing hug.

 

“Oh no problem, we’ll be back to lecture him later.” Erika responded with a mischievous grin, a dangerous spark flickering in her eyes.

“Is it _okay_ if we visit later?” Kadota asked Shinra and Celty more politely as he poked Erika playfully as a punishment.

 

Celty nodded happily.

[I’ll let you know when he's ready...]

 

Kadota and the others then said their goodbyes but not before Togusa hugged Shizuo rather awkwardly _one more time_ to express his gratitude at ‘Saving his princess’ while the others stared in shock, Shizuo included.

As they left the apartment with tired smiles, he felt the day’s exhaustion down on him as well.

 

“I guess I better go home too.” He said with a drowsy smile to his two friends.

“You can stay over if you want, we don’t mind Shizuo-kun.” Shinra threw over his shoulder with a wink as he fetched himself a drink from the kitchen.

 

“Thanks, but I could really use a walk right now.” He responded as Celty nodded at him knowingly before putting up her PDA again.

[I’ll let you know as well?]

 

Shizuo knew what she meant.

“Yeah…” he replied softly, glancing into the hallway with a sad look his eyes.

 

Once outside, he immediately went looking for his phone, grimacing at the crack in the screen from dropping it in that stockroom earlier.

 

[Brother, are you al right? We’re worried, please call us as soon as you can...]

 

He smiled at Kasuka’s message. It appears he had a couple of missed calls too...

He should probably call back soon, but he had to empty his head first.

 

When he crossed the bridge on his way home, he was surprised to see little blasts of colour going up in the distant sky, the little prattles of sound soon following.

He supposed some people decided that now was as good a time as any to _actually_ celebrate the new year.

 

He smiled.

 

They really saved the city from tragedy, didn’t they?

In fact, _Izaya_ had saved the city from tragedy.

 

Part of him still expected it to be some sort of crazy dream, that any minute now, he could wake up...

 

Part of him was glad it wasn’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second after Celty had left the apartment yestereday, Shinra knew he was going to be restless until the entire ordeal was over.

 

He knew she was strong and probably the safest one out there and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if one of those bombs went off in her proximity....

Would her shadows be strong enough to withstand the blast? Would her existence be wiped away as if she’d never been there in the first place?

The thought of Celty _dying_ , leaving him entirely  _alone_ was unbearable.

 

So when the dreaded moment of the countdown reaching zero was over, Shinra had never felt more relieved, exclaiming his ecstasy loudly in the middle of his own living room.

In fact, he had been so entranced in his bliss, that he completely missed Nakura’s and Izaya’s live conversation. So when his apartment suddenly shook with an Earthly tremor , he had realized something had gone amiss.

 

From his balcony, he had seen the flames rise into the sky in the distance and yet again fear had gripped his heart.

 

As if on cue, his phone had buzzed and Shinra was sure he’d never opened a message quite that fast.

 

[I can feel you worrying from here! I’m totally fine!]

 

Shinra had just hugged the phone to his chest, embracing it like it was Celty herself with a goofy smile on his face.

 

Only minutes later, he was standing at his front door with a sight he never expected to see in this time line nor any other.

The sight of Shizuo Heiwajima carrying his unconscious and bloodied nemesis in his arms

He remembered Shizuo slightly shaking from a mix of fear, concern and frustration so clear in his eyes, Shinra was almost just as stunned by the intensity of the emotions pooling in those mocha depths...

 

He had been staring then, and he was staring now.

 

Staring at the face of the man he had once befriended, lectured and then left behind.

The face of the man whose life he had saved just 24 hours before.

 

He sighed tiredly as he took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes.

 

Was this really Izaya in front of him though?

 

The Izaya he knew wouldn’t just help others without getting something in return.

Neither would he go out in the field like that himself, not to that extent.

He certainly wouldn’t go and pick a fight in such a direct fashion…

 

Well… Nakura might’ve started it, of course.

Shinra had been surprised to find out about the villain’s identity, much like everyone else. He would’ve never guessed _that_ guy had the capability to do something like that, on such a scale even… Then again, Shinra wasn’t sure what he knew about others any more at this point…

 

He checked Izaya’s pulse and blood pressure again, confirming his stability.

Frowning, he checked the injured wrist, encapsulated in a mess of thick bandages. Izaya’s fingers were somewhat warm, which was a good sign. He would have to see his wrists' functional state once Izaya woke up, however...

The thought made him somewhat nervous.

 

He noted down the current time before moving towards the door again.

 

How was Izaya going to react once he woke up?

Then again, Shinra had no idea how he, himself would…

 

Just as those thoughts processed through his mind, a weak voice reached him from behind.

 

“Shin..ra?”

 

Startled, his hand on the door’s handle froze.

As he turned his head around, he was met with tired red eyes regarding him in what Shinra thought was surprise.

 

They stared at each other for a while in strained silence as Shinra took a couple of seconds to relearn how to breathe in the haze of his mind.

 

He was sure his mouth was hanging slightly open, but even as he formed words in his head, his lips would not move.

And just when he glanced his eyes away and willed himself to say something, _anything_ , Izaya beat him to it.

 

“What," Izaya started, voice so frail it made Shinra shiver

"Aren’t you going to lecture me again?”

The playful undertone was there and so was the trace of that typical meek smile.

 

Shinra felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

 

In the end, the tears won however and he saw Izaya’s face transcribe into surprise again.

“You..” Shinra started, voice biting on water.

 

Then he did something he had only dared to do once before in his life.

He hugged Orihara Izaya.

 

“You absolute moron!” He bit out, one blur of words after the other as his voice was somewhat muffled by the fabric underneath. “What were you thinking, going into a fight alone like that? Again!”

Izaya only chuckled lightly at his display of worry as Shinra pulled back, quickly readjusting his glasses and wiping his face with his sleeve, as if the tears had never been there.

 

“I thought you’d have learned your lesson!” He finished sternly with a false frown.

 

Izaya was just regarding him with those amused eyes of his again, not fooled by him at all.

 

“Heh, well I guess not…” He spoke softly, gaze slightly saddening.

 

Shinra then sighed tiredly, a sincere smile on his face as he looked the raven in the eyes.

“Well, good thing you’ve got me to fix you up then.” He said with a wink.

 

Izaya scoffed at him, his own smile unwavering.

 

“Anyway…” Shinra started again.

“You should rest some more, you still have some healing up to do, you know…”

 

At that, Izaya glanced at his injured wrist sadly, before his eyes widened. “Nakura.. he’s-

“Don’t worry about any of that, Celty took care of it.” Shinra quickly reassured him. “We’ll fill you in on the details later, al right? For now, just rest…”

 

Izaya sighed in surrender as he closed his eyes again. He was off to slumberland in a matter of seconds.

As Shinra left the room with careful steps, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his friend once more.

 

No, Shinra hadn’t known how he, himself would react.

 

But at least now, his heart could rest a bit more easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Say, Celty, maybe we should ask Anri-chan to help with this kind of stuff?” Shinra’s voice came whining all the way to Shizuo’s ears.

 

He had only _just_ arrived, too.

 

[She doesn’t really run that kind of business, Shinra…] came the Dullahan’s reply.

“I know that, but y’know, she’s a woman! Like you! It’ll be like fun girl talk?” Shinra kept babbling on until he finally noticed Shizuo.

 

“Oh Shizuo-kun! Perfect timing, come here for a moment.” Shinra’s eyes lit up as he coaxed the blond over.

‘Great, now what does he want?’ were Shizuo’s thoughts, however.

 

“The hell is this?” Shizuo exclaimed as he was presented with some book filled with pictures of differently coloured roses.

 

“Just pick! Whatever colour is fine!” Shinra encouraged.

Celty, however, wasn’t pleased at all.

 

[DON’T PUSH YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES ONTO OTHERS DAMMIT!!] she showed as she jabbed Shinra in the ribs with her shadows.

“B-But Celty! We’re already running out of time! Awch! I’m sure that Shizuo-kun doesn’t mind helping a bit! Agh!”

 

“These look pretty nice…” Shizuo put in then, pointing at a certain spot on the page.

At that, Celty paused in her torture and came over to inspect curiously, leaning over to see.

[I like them best in their natural colour too!] She agreed happily.

Shinra was still rubbing his sides as he came over to them.

“Just red huh?” he inquired curiously.

 

Shizuo watched in amusement as his two friends then proceeded to bicker further over how the other decorations should match with the roses and that the band should dress up in red too, and so on and on and on.

‘Ah right, now that the drama is over they can focus on their wedding again…’ He realized with a smile.

 

He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly after a while. Celty and Shinra paused to look at him.

“Uh, so, how’s the Flea doing?” He asked as casually as he could muster.

Shinra flashed him a smile at the realization why Shizuo was here in the first place.

 

“Ah right, he’s doing fine, you can go see for yourself! He might be sleeping again though but just give him a good jab and he’ll probably wake up!” Shinra told him before returning to his earlier debate, Celty shaking his head at his words disappointedly.

 

Shizuo just decided to leave the two lovebirds to their business as he made his way to Izaya’s room.

 

He froze for a moment as he reached for the door’s handle, unsure of what would follow if he entered that room.

_“I’m sorry.”_

 

At those words repeating in his mind, he pushed back his nervous feelings. He needed to see this through, _wanted_ to see this through.

He needed to know...

Taking a deep breath, he carefully pushed open the door, entering the room silently.

 

Despite witnessing Izaya’s state not long before, he still couldn’t get used to the sight.

The wires and needles attached to that sickly pale skin. The ugly bruise encircling his neck…

It made him look so damn _fragile_.

It didn't suit him at all...

 

But hadn’t Izaya always been that? Fragile?

That night when Shizuo landed that blow on him, breaking his arms, knocking him into the ground, _that’s_ when he realized just how vulnerable the Flea truly was.

How he was not almighty, how he was not invulnerable as he liked to pretend he was...

How he was just a mere human, like all the rest of them...

 

Only afterwards did Celty tell him about Izaya getting stabbed in the street long before their fight even happened, surprised that Shizuo hadn’t even known that had occurred.

It had been meant as a comfort, to assure Shizuo that if Izaya could survive something like that he would certainly survive some ‘slaps’ from him and a little stab to the side.

Of course, Shizuo hadn’t been amused at her words at all.

Instead, a strange feeling of possessiveness had enveloped him. Back then, he had ignored it, deemed it unimportant.

But now, that same feeling swarmed inside him once again as he stared at his old enemy, laying there so weak and defeated by someone that wasn’t _him_.

Shizuo didn’t know _why_ it bothered him so much, didn’t know why he couldn’t stand the fact that somebody else did this to Izaya. He felt like they didn’t have the right to, like only _he_ was allowed to touch the Flea...

And yet, right now, he didn’t even want to hurt the man in front of him.

So then, what was this feeling? Was he just mad at those other people for hurting Izaya? Was he mad at himself?

 

Shizuo bit his lip as he thought back to that night again.

 

Part of him did regret his actions, especially now as he witnessed the way Izaya was afraid of him, but he also knew that Izaya did deserve that punishment, after all the things he had done, after he’d hurt Vorona…

 

As he stared at the still form only meters away, unable to get angry as those past thoughts and feelings skipped though his mind, Shizuo's gaze saddened again.

It was thanks to this man that his loved ones were safe now, after all, however hard it was to face that reality.

 

His eyes roamed over Izaya once again, over the small chest movement and the slightly parted lips, the skin that shone an even brighter shade than usual.

In an unfamiliar way, the sight was enrapturing.

 

Simply because he was never even able to imagine Izaya like this...

All he'd ever known were those taunting, curled up lips. The promise of trouble shining in the crimson gleam of those eyes. The threatening shine of his flick blade...

And now, all of that was stripped away...

 

A weak groan sounded through the still room and before Shizuo realized it, mocha met crimson once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing that entered Izaya’s mind as he stared at the familiar shade of brown was that he was dreaming.

That, or the medication Shinra had him on made him see things.

But after forcefully blinking a couple of times, he realized that what he was seeing was real.

 

He was glad that he wasn’t attached to the ECG anymore, because then Shizuo would’ve certainly noticed his heart rate doubling.

 

Grasping the blanket with his good hand, he suppressed the familiar cascade of danger entering his system, all the while regarding the strangely calm man leaning against the wall a little way’s off so …nonchalantly.

Shizuo wasn’t fooling him though.

Izaya knew that he was just as much on edge.

 

He didn’t know if it were due to the drugs he was on or because the voice in his head telling him that he was safe that he was able to stay somewhat calm.

It’s not like he had anywhere to run, anyway and nor was he in the position to...

 

The current situation was unrealistic.

The ocean of violence that used to rule between them now sucked away, leaving behind a mere uncomfortable emptiness.

 

“Hey...”

Shizuo’s uncharacteristically soft voice cut through the stiff air. Izaya could almost see the invisible thread of tension fall down to the floor between them.

 

“Hey…” He responded it equal meekness, not sure what else to say.

Why was Shizuo even here in the first place?

 

“So… How are you feeling?” Shizuo came again, talking as if he were visiting an old friend in the hospital.

Izaya, however, was no such thing.

 

“Could’ve been worse.” He responded, voice still somewhat raw.

“I suppose…” Shizuo mumbled back, glancing away in discomfort. Maybe he had taken that comment a bit too personal regarding their ‘little’ incident.

Izaya hadn’t actually meant it like that however, and yet here Shizuo was, visibly bothered as if…

As if he were feeling guilty or something.

 

For some reason, Izaya really couldn’t stand his behavior as he felt his eyebrows crease together.

 

“I’ll let you rest some more, you probably still need to recover a lot, so…” The blond said to that particularly interesting spot on the floor before making his move to ‘run’ from the scene.

Izaya wouldn’t let him so easily.

 

“Why did you help me?” He asked, a hint of need into the question. Shizuo’s retreating back froze at the words.

‘Why didn’t you just let me die?’ the underlying thought rung through his mind as the blond turned around to face Izaya again, eyes wide.

 

“You really think I would just let you bleed out in front of me like that?” He responded, anger seeping into his voice, offended.

 

“Wouldn’t _I_ have?”

 

The sharp words were out of Izaya’s mouth before he could stop them. He witnessed Shizuo’s eyes widen in response before they returned to their previous hardness, pointed to the floor again.

 

The silence that hung between them felt like ages drifting by.

 

When Shizuo’s answer finally came, it was muttered softly and devoid of the previous anger.

 

“I’m not like you…”

 

And then he walked out of the room, leaving Izaya alone to his thoughts once again.

Unfocused, his eyes were pointed at the closed door for a long time...

 

_“I’m not like you.”_

The sentence echoed through his head as if it were an empty cathedral.

 

Izaya smiled in self-pity before he chuckled to himself.

 

“I’m not quite like myself either.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I should say prepare yourself for more cheesy and awkward moments? Lol.
> 
> Also, the reference to Izaya getting stabbed long before Shizuo's fight was when he got stabbed by 'Yodogiri Jinnai', just in case that wasn't very clear. 
> 
> Anyways, I wish you all many heart-shaped pancakes with tons of ice cream, chocolate sauce and maybe even some whipped cream while we're at it, since it's Valentine's day and all ;) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Reviews & kudos are always appreciated.


	11. Hold Up Both My Hands With My Heart Uncrossed

 

 

“And then the cops arrived! Luckily we were out of sight already, just imagine the hassle of being suspected or something…” Togusa continued his story whilst everyone in the room listened intently, Erika nodding beside him in enthusiasm.

 

Despite still feeling like a spineless potato sack, Izaya managed to, somehow, keep sitting upright in the bed.

After Shizuo’s ‘surprise’ visit, Kadota’s gang had barged into the room, Erika flinging a plush tiger in his face as a ‘get better’ gift without warning.

Then they’d all started lecturing him, Celty included. From the “ _Just because you can throw knives doesn’t mean you’re a duellist or something”_ to the _“Why didn’t you let us know, we would’ve come to help out!”._

 

Izaya would have to thank Shinra later for giving him those wonderful sedatives because else, his head would’ve surely exploded with all the ruckus.

 

“So Celty, did the cops give you a hard time or...?” Kadota then asked, tuning Izaya back into the conversation.

[Ah, it was scary alright! It was that one traffic cop again! He always tries to get me!] She typed hysterically in response, causing Izaya to chuckle a bit.

“Traffic cop?” Walker then asked, a bit confused.

“Kuzuhara Kinnosuke.” Izaya butted in. “He’s the cop I sent the information to.” He explained as Celty suddenly flicked to him, a dangerous aura emitting from her head.

[YOU DID WHAT?!]

“He’s the only one I dared to trust with it, besides, you really should get a license plate if you drive a motorcycle Celty, it’s just the law.” He replied coyly, to which she responded with tapping him playfully in the ribs.

[Just you wait till you’re out of that bed, Mr. smart ass!]

 

Izaya couldn’t help but smirk amusingly at her as he slightly squirmed under the merciful ‘stabs’.

 

The others regarded the scene with a slight smile but Izaya could tell how surprised they were by how the Dullahan was treating him.

Truth be told, it amazed him just as much.

 

After some more bickering and storytelling, Kadota sighed, kind gaze pointed at Izaya. “Well, let’s just hope that guy gets the punishment he deserves…” He said as he got up from his chair, the others following suite.

“You should rest some more so you’ll look less…dead.”

‘So kindly put, Dota-chin.’ Izaya just settled for a tired nod however.

 

“Oh and, thank you, again.” Kadota smiled at Izaya as he left the room, the others also throwing him another quick thanks at ‘saving’ the city before leaving the room behind in silence.

 

Frown covering his previously stoic face, Izaya was lost for a moment in their gratitude...

Celty caught his expression, however.

 

[What’s wrong?] She asked, sitting down next to the bed again.

Izaya glanced over to her, a bit startled at her question. He gave a tired sigh, figuring he might as well tell her what was poking at his mind.

“You know the story about me, Shinra and Nakura right?” He asked her to which she nodded curtly.

“Then you also know that I vowed to make him pay his entire life for what he did….” He continued as she tensed up at his words.

“What he tried to do…what he’s become…” He glanced at the tiger plush between his hands.

 

“It might’ve been my fault in the first place…”

 

It was true, wasn’t it?

If he hadn’t used Nakura all those years as an extra bag of flesh, if he had just cut him loose after punishing him for just a little while, would things have ended up like this?

 

Then Celty’s PDA was suddenly in his face.

[Even if it is, so what?] He only had a second to read the line before she pulled it back again, already typing away fervently again.

[You helped stop him, Izaya! You could’ve easily looked the other way…]

 

Izaya stared wordlessly at her as she concluded her little speech.

[But you didn’t and that’s what counts.]

 

Izaya couldn’t deny himself the warm feeling rising in his chest at her words but he didn’t let it show, his frown still apparent as he was unable to understand why Celty would speak in his defence like that.

[Stop giving me that stupid face! Cheer up!] She added as she put a hand on her hip, adding to her dissatisfaction at his expression.

Izaya just scoffed and couldn’t resist smiling at her blunt words.

The corners of his lips fell down again within seconds.

 

“Why are you being so nice?” He asked her, doubt seeping into his voice as he remembered all the things Celty should still be scorning him for.

“All that time when I kept your own head from you…” He started questioningly.

Celty, however, was quick to reply.

[It’s not like that was only your doing…].

 

Izaya raised an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to name another distasteful thing he had done but Celty raised her hand to silence him before she started typing again.

 

[Besides, that’s all in the past now. Things aren’t the same anymore, are they?]

 

Izaya’s eyes widened a bit before he smiled sadly in response.

“No, I suppose not…”

 

[Good! Now stop looking like a kicked puppy, we’re friends now and I prefer my friends being happy, okay?]

 

His eyes widened yet again at her message as he felt something suffocating swell from between the layers within his lungs, spreading all the way through his flesh and bone.

 

“Celty…” He muttered without much follow up, as the doorbell rung into the hallway. He saw Celty tense up in response as she looked at him again.

[And uhm, that being said, I think this might just cheer you up!]

 

Izaya registered her words a bit too late as he was still abashed by Celty’s previous words. She was already out the door before he could ask her what was going on.

 

Now alone, he gripped a handful of black strands as he groaned wearily. All these emotions, these _feelings_ were just too much to deal with right now. He had no strategy to shape them, to sort them out where they wouldn’t bother him any longer. Where he wouldn’t have to _deal_ with them.

 

When two very familiar heads popped out from the doorway, however, his frustration vanished in less than a second.

 

“Iza-niiii!” the two girls yelled simultaneously as they more or less attacked him on the bed, flinging their arms around him.

“Mairu..Kururi..” He sputtered in shock as they hugged the life out of him.

 

For a moment, his mind went blank.

What was he supposed to say to them?

I’m sorry I was gone for so long? I’m sorry for not being there in difficult situations? I’m sorry I almost died?

 

Instead of using words, he decided to return their affection by simply hugging them back, wrapping his arms around them as best as he could despite all the bandages and wires.

 

“You jerk!” Mairu suddenly punched him rather unforgivingly in his stomach, to which he ‘oofed’ indignantly.

“Ah, I suppose I deserved that…” He responded with a tired chuckle.

As his sisters stopped ‘suffocating’ him, he took a moment to finally take in their appearance after all this time.

 

“You guys haven’t changed at all.” He said teasingly as he regarded their teary eyes and flustered faces. “T-That’s not true, we got a lot bigger! And smarter! I bet we’re smarter than you now!” Mairu talked back defiantly. She was right on some things, though.

Izaya could see how they’d matured in their features. In annoyance, he could already imagine the stream of boys chasing after them now, though he should probably count girls into that equation as well...

 

To his left, Kururi kept regarding him with her timid smile. “Brother…missed you…” she spoke softly.

Ah, so that still hadn’t changed.

 

Izaya chuckled as he petted her head fondly.

“I’ll make it up to you guys, alright? We’ll go out for sushi or something later.”

Kururi nodded happily whereas Mairu just pouted, seemingly unsatisfied. Izaya saw right through her little act though and he just kept on smirking as she blabbered on about what a lousy excuse for a brother he was.

 

Despite his head still feeling like it was about to burst, he decided that this was a nice feeling.

To be appreciated by those he’d loved unrequitedly since forever.

To be loved back…

 

For once, Izaya opened up his heart to the feelings he denied himself time and time again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Phew, I’m glad the news finally died down a little.”

 

Shizuo hummed in agreement at Tom’s comment before slurping down his strawberry milkshake.

It was mid-day in Ikebukuro, sun shining brightly down on the still frozen streets where many people had _almost_ lost their lives merely three days ago.

 

“It’s not like they’re completely shutting up about it but hey, it’s something… and all that talk about the Headless Rider capturing that guy… Now they’re going on about others being involved too, what do you make of all that, Shizuo?” Tom asked curiously, eyeing him with a knowing look.

 

Shizuo however, didn’t like talking about the subject, afraid that he might slip something that he’d rather keep a secret.

He was pretty sure Izaya as well as all the others felt the same way.

 

“Who knows?” He just answered, leaving every possibility at interpretation open.

Tom just kept going on though.

“What was that guy’s name again? Nakura? Still young too, wonder what made him become like that…”

Shizuo’s brows furrowed a bit at the reminder.

“Well, we won’t know until he spills something...” he answered with a sigh.

 

Nakura…The guy who had apparently stabbed Shinra in middle school. Celty had told him the little story, even though it was hard to believe at first. He could see Shinra doing some foolish heroic act like that. It was just hard to imagine him doing it for the Flea.

Then again, he had never quite understood their friendship…

 

Thinking about all that warped his mind back to his little visit to Izaya yesterday.

Izaya and his stupid  _fucking_ question.

Like Shizuo would ever leave someone to die like that in front of him, even if it was the man responsible for his many misfortunes…

 

_“Wouldn’t I have?”_

 

His hand tightened around his plastic cup, making it crack under the pressure.

Yes.

Yes, Izaya probably would have left him dying on the streets because that was what the Flea had always wanted, wasn’t it? Him dead, the monster of Ikebukuro, _dead_.

But apparently, now he didn’t anymore because he sure as hell wouldn’t have saved Shizuo from that bullet at the club and neither would he have helped him stop a bomb from exploding in his face because that sure as hell would’ve killed him in that proximity.

Okay sure, there were a whole bunch of other people too, but would that have stopped the Izaya from 2 years ago?

 

In any case, Shizuo was _very_ confused.

And he honestly hated that.

 

“Hey Shizuo, you’re going to break that y’know?” Tom’s voice then came through as Shizuo realised he was accidentally ‘strangling’ his cup. He put it down on his plate carefully, frowning at it in annoyance.

‘Stupid Flea, always messing with my thoughts…’

 

“I guess it all bothers you too right? Your brother was in real danger, after all…” Tom added thoughtfully then, regarding Shizuo with a gentle gaze.

“Yeah…” he just replied softly as he got up and brought both their plates to the cleaning rack.

Then they were off into the streets again, on their way to the next ‘client’.

 

Despite being glad the news wasn’t overrun by the event any more, Tom sure liked speculating about it. Shizuo just listened as his partner went on and on about the countless reports and rumours he’d read and heard about.

Of course, like Tom had mentioned before, Celty had been seen a lot, driving through the city that night as she drew attention all on her own so it was only natural people thought she had to do with the whole ordeal.

He knew he had been seen too, however. Especially at the concert, where he had literally explained that he disarmed the bomb there to some of the staff. His brother’s agency had taken care of that however and those people really worked _wonders_.

 

As he listened on to Tom’s words, he looked around the streets for a moment, letting his eyes wander.

Things were rather peaceful again. People just minding their own business left and right. The busy intersections never sleeping for even a second with either footsteps or tires.

 

And yet, Shizuo couldn’t really find peace himself.

 

His mind kept drifting to a certain person, as if his mind was stuck in a vicious loop.

 

Then again, had it ever been any different?

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A feeling of nostalgia rose within Celty as she regarded the two men conversing at the table whilst enjoying some noodle dish she’d quickly stirred up.

It reminded her of past times, where Izaya had showed up at their door, casually asking if Shinra had time to ‘stitch him up’. Whether it was her or Shinra asking where he had sustained his wounds, Izaya would always lie through his smirking teeth.

Of course, Celty was sure he had his handful of enemies back in those days as well.

 

However, she always felt that Izaya’s biggest enemy was himself. But perhaps now, there was some progress on that level.

 

She thought back to yesterday afternoon, when Shizuo had come to visit Izaya not that long after the raven had awoken.

 _“So, you didn’t kill him, right?”_ Shinra had asked rather casually after the blond had re-emerged from Izaya’s room. Kadota’s gang had already arrived as well, as they sat scattered across the living room, staring at Shizuo with overly curious gazes.

 

Shizuo, however, hadn’t looked very happy.

 _“What? Hell if I’d hurt anyone in a state like that!”_ He had responded a bit heatedly, obviously offended by Shinra’s question.

_“Oh, so you guys are…. okay with each other now?”_

 

Celty didn’t even remember who precisely had asked that question because Shizuo’s reaction had been absolutely priceless.

 _“NO! YES? I DON’T KNOW, OKAY!”_ Completely flustered, he’d quickly waved everyone goodbye because he, apparently, still had ‘work’ to do.

To Celty, however, it was crystal clear he was just _escaping_ the scene.  

 

She also had a feeling that he would be back soon enough.

 

Shizuo and Izaya were like magnets, after all. Sooner or later, they would always end up getting pulled towards each other again, for better or for worse.

 

“So, basically you would’ve been pretty dead if you’d arrived only minutes later!” Shinra’s cheerful voice cut through Celty’s thoughts. She shook her head again at her lover’s inappropriate tone as she finished drying some glasses.

 

“Plus, without Shizuo-kun’s blood you’d be just as much as a goner.” Shinra continued.

Frowning, Izaya looked down at his hands in response.

“He gave me his blood?”

 

Shinra nodded excitedly. “He sure did! So hey, you feeling anything…extraordinary regarding that?” He asked with gleaming eyes.

Izaya just responded with a look that said ‘Are you fucking for real right now?’ which shut Shinra right up.

“Eh, never mind! Let’s move onto... oh yes! Your wrist!” He exclaimed as he flipped some more papers laid out in front of them on the table in a flurry.

“Had to fix up your radial artery and your median nerve was quite damaged too. Moving your wrist and fingers is going to be rather painful for a while, flexing might not even be possible at the start but your ulnar nerve was unharmed so we’ll have to wait and see once I remove the bandages and do some more tests…” He continued to bombard Izaya with more things Celty still didn’t understand half of the time. It wouldn’t really surprise her if Izaya did, however.

As Shinra continued his near-monologue to an unamused Izaya, Celty grabbed her helmet from the coffee table. She really didn't want to be late for his next assignment...

[Me and Shooter are out, see you guys later!]

She announced to them before making off to the door, but before she could leave Shinra was enwrapping her in a tight hug again.

“Be careful!” He uttered worriedly.

Celty nodded sweetly at her lover before bumping her helmet against his forehead again.

 

Izaya was oblivious to the scene, still frowning down at his wrist, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

[Don’t forget to ask him, okay?] She showed subtly to Shinra, whom nodded fervently in return with a hum.

 

She sighed as she got Shooter out of the garage and hopped out into the streets of Ikebukuro again.

 

Even as life slid back into its normal pace, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things would never be quite the same again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

“Soo Orihara-kun” Shinra began as he crept towards Izaya again. “Do you still have any questions regarding your injuries or something?”

 

Izaya didn’t look up at him, however, seemingly lost in his own world, eyes solemn.

Shinra had his guesses to what he was thinking about… Perhaps he shouldn’t have dropped the ‘Shizuo’s blood is flowing through your body now’ that suddenly. Then again, all those visits yesterday probably did a number on him too. His mind must be exhausted from all the exposure.

“I think I’m going to go home…” Izaya suddenly announced, crimson gleam falling on Shinra again, whom was a bit taken aback.

“Well, you’re stable enough…although Celty might get mad at me if I let you go that quickly.” Shinra quipped jokingly. “We don’t mind you staying longer, though, after all that happened…” He trailed off, bringing back memories of their state before this… incident.

 

Izaya was regarding him rather curiously now, probably because Shinra’s cheerful mood just dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Izaya shot him his typical smirk then, however.

“Oh, I’m aware but you know, you getting lectured by Celty all day in exchange for me fainting a couple of times is totally worth it.” He chirped mischievously.

“Well, I had my fun watching her go all out on you, I suppose…” He winked right back at Izaya whom scoffed in response.

 

A comfortable moment of silence followed before Shinra sighed in surrender.

“Fine then, let me just pack you up some things before you go, that wrist is going to need daily care in any case.”

 

Shinra knew how important it was for Izaya to go home again to be able to _deal_ with everything for a moment by himself. Others might not notice and the raven surely wouldn’t show, but Shinra could tell just how much strain he was under.

Besides, above all, Izaya disliked feeling weak as he was right now, but disliked being _seen_ in his current state even more so, Shinra believed.

 

Which is why it was amazing he hadn’t lashed out at Shinra yet for letting others, especially Shizuo, into his room while he was practically a fish on dry land.

Celty _did_ mention that Izaya really disliked talking about Shizuo, so perhaps he was just avoiding the subject. Had it been any other time, Shinra wouldn’t let that topic slide so easily, but seeing Izaya’s current state…

Instead, he remembered that which he still had to ask and a sudden feeling of nervousness struck him. He wasn’t sure why he was so scared to ask Izaya something so simple.

 

Was he that afraid that Izaya would refuse? Scurry of someplace far away again the moment he got the chance?

As he was gathering some things for Izaya to take home with him, he glanced to where his friend was sitting, flipping through the papers in his medical archive with a bored look on his face.

 

“Neh, Orihara-kun…” Shinra began carefully and Izaya looked up at him curiously. “While you were gone…me and Celty…I kind of...no, that’s not really true, we both decided… uhm….”

He rambled as he watched Izaya’s brows rise up in expectation, his smirk wasn’t far off either, teasingly creeping up to his ears as Shinra continued to struggle for words.

 

“We decided to get married!” the latter yelled out suddenly, Izaya looking abashed as a result.

 

With a sudden surge of confidence, Shinra grabbed an envelope from his pocket and pushed it into Izaya’s hand before he could spill a single word.

“Our wedding party is in two weeks!” Shinra added quickly and Izaya still looked somewhat frozen, surprise still lingering on his face as he glanced to the envelope and back to Shinra again.

“Celty and I…. we would really like you to be there…” The nervous doctor continued, setting his glasses straight again.

 

As if the weight of Shinra’s question suddenly downed on Izaya, he blinked his eyes a couple of times before closing his eyes in full and putting on another one of his amused smiles.

“I’ll see what I can do…” The mischievous reply came from between curved lips. A certain glow apparent in his red eyes that somehow made Shinra feel at ease at the situation.

 

Because, even with their past struggles, they were still friends, like they always had been, however peculiar that friendship was…

Shinra knew that Izaya never really ‘approved’ of the doctor’s deep-found love for Celty, or better said, never understood the love for something that was not human. So those few words falling from his friend’s lips just now meant the world to Shinra.

To him, it was like gaining Izaya’s seal of approval he had no idea he desired so much until now.

 

His mood now incredibly lifted, Shinra half-danced around the apartment while gathering more things. Meanwhile, Izaya tried to adjust to walking with the crutch underneath his arm as he strolled around rather gracelessly in the apartment. 

 

Not long after, a taxi arrived in front of the apartment complex and they found themselves saying their goodbyes at the doctor’s front door.

“Alright now, promise me not to strain yourself, I’ll be over for a check-up tomorrow, okay?”

Izaya chuckled in response as he leaned lazily on his crutch.

“You know me, I’ll be just fine.” He chirped as he proceeded to waggle away to the elevator.

 

As Shinra stared after him, it was as if he was witnessing the end of a book, the end of a story.

As if he was watching a man walking down a path filled with mistakes, struggles and hardships, finally nearing its end.

But deep down, Shinra knew that such a road never ended, certainly not for someone like Orihara Izaya.

 

No, this was the exact opposite.

It was, in fact, a new beginning.

A new path to be thread upon was out there, soil fresh and unscarred.

 

And this time, Shinra decided, he would walk down that path beside Izaya, never to stray from it again, no matter what challenges they would encounter along the way.

 

Because that’s what he should’ve done in the first place, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Izaya smelled the flowers at his door before he spotted them.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the tag that was attached.

_Take care of yourself, kid. -Akabayashi M._

 

‘Who are you calling a kid, old man?’ His thoughts prickled as he picked up the bluebells with some difficulty. Getting all his stuff on his desk took more energy than Izaya thought should be necessary...

He absolutely _hated_ feeling so sluggish and frail, but he supposed he brought it on himself…

He did remember Shinra saying something about Iron tablets, he’d have to check on that later.

 

He stared at his bandaged wrist again, slightly twitching his fingers. A tingling feeling ran through his fingers and up his forearm like a stream of water, uncomfortable and stinging. The cut to his leg was a nuisance too, pulsating slightly under the strain of standing up. Since it had been deep enough to sever some of the muscle, contraction was rather painful, hence the crutch to support him.

Besides that, he had acquired some bruises and shallow cuts in other places too, but Izaya hardly cared for those.

He was lucky to be alive, if anything.

 

He smiled ruefully to himself.

Yes, he was alive. Thanks to Shizuo, no less.

 

Two years ago, he was sure he would’ve felt absolutely disgusted at the that man’s blood flowing through his veins. But now, he didn’t know where to place the feeling he was experiencing…

 

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. Thinking about Shizuo would just stress him out again and he couldn’t exactly turn to his piano for relief at the moment.

As if waking up from a trance, his eyes widened in realisation that Manami and Kine hadn’t heard from him in 3 days’ time.

Taking out his phone in slight panic, he dialled the number, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable shitstorm that was about to come.

 

**“YOU!”**

He reflexively moved the phone away from his ear with a hiss. That was Manami on the other end alright.

 

“I know, I know, you can punish me later for not calling earlier but you know I wasn’t exactly _able_ to…” He tried carefully with a sigh.

**“Yeah, we know, you dunce! What were you thinking just solo-ing this, this… _evil_ guy by yourself? YOU COULD’VE DIED YOUUUU-**

“Wait, how do you know all that?” Izaya interrupted her before she blew apart his eardrum again.

 **“Eh? Shinra told us of course, didn’t he tell you that we called?”** Manami’s dumbfounded response came.

 

Izaya’s facial expression said it all, too bad she had no way of seeing it.

 

“No, he didn’t.” He replied curtly. ‘Typical Shinra…’ He thought in annoyance.

 **“Well, we saw everything on the news and I had to stop Manami from boarding the first plane to Japan.”** Kine jumped in on the other end.

Izaya chuckled warmly in response. “You really should have more faith in me, jeez.” He chirped, which was the wrong thing to do.

 **“Oh right, I forgot that you getting stabbed and bleeding out on the street is a hobby of yours! Excuse my doubtfulness in your _capabilities._ ”** Came the smart-ass response. He heard Kine laugh somewhere in the background.

“That was a low blow.” He whined back at her, albeit smirking into it. She merely chuckled before a moment of silence passed between them.

 

“I’m sorry for making you guys worry, alright?” Izaya sighed in surrender.

Manami sighed right back at him.

 

 **“…Just stay safe…people probably know you’re back in the city by now right?”** she added worriedly.

“Yeah well, I didn’t exactly hide my face from the driver earlier, so…”

He got an expectant hum in response.

 

 **“So, what will you do now then?”** Ah, the expected question.

“Well, as much as I want to come back to you guys, there’s still stuff I need to go through here and Shinra gave me a last-minute invite to his and Celty’s wedding party, so…”

 

The sudden ring of the doorbell cutting through the room startled Izaya. The sound had reached other ears as well, apparently.

 

 **“Well, looks like you’ve got visitors so I’ll leave you to it, but we ain’t done talking yet, you hear me?”** Manami prattled through the phone in her typical sternness.

 

“Wouldn’t have dreamt of it…” Izaya responded a bit absentmindedly as he stared at the door as if he could peer through it, eyes hard with suspicion.

 

Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo had no idea what he was doing as he stared at the doorbell he once so rudely abused in the past.

Why did Shinra always get him into these kind of situations…

 

He just wanted to visit the Flea again, maybe have a nice talk with Celty while he was at it.

You know, just… giving it another go.

 

But Celty hadn’t been home and Izaya had apparently just been ‘discharged’ but _of course_ , Shinra had ‘forgotten’ to give Izaya the bag of medicine that was still on the table.

 

So now he was here, with said bag in his hand, standing in front of Izaya's apartment door, seriously doubting if he should ring the bell or not.

What the hell was he even going to say? Was Izaya going to freak out again? Would he just slam the door back into Shizuo’s face?

All kinds of questions rummaged through Shizuo’s head, but one thought generated enough strength to finally push the button.

_“I’m sorry.”_

 

Shizuo was steadfast. No more chickening out like last time.

 

It took a while before he heard steps coming closer towards the door. Then finally, the key was turning in the lock and the door creaked open, revealing a rather scruffy looking Flea.

Izaya’s crimson eyes widened in surprise as expected and Shizuo didn’t miss his body tensing up either.

 

“Shizuo?” came the suspicious voice.

“Uh…” Shizuo responded a bit unintelligently.

‘Say something damnit!’ He growled to himself as Izaya pulled the door open a bit further, eyeing him sceptically.

 

“Shinra forgot to give you this!” Shizuo blurted out, holding up the bag in his hand. Izaya’s eyes flickered to the bag for a second before landing on his own again.

 

He then sighed, pose somewhat relaxing.

“Of _course_ he did.” Izaya responded in disbelief.

 

Looks like they were both on the same wavelength when it came to Shinra’s little set-ups.

As Shizuo exchanged the bag to Izaya carefully, he took the moment to roam his eyes over the other’s injuries again, which probably seemed less bad then they were. Izaya still looked tired but at least his skin had reverted back to its natural colour, however frosted that was.

 

Izaya took notice of his curious staring, however.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” He responded flatly but Shizuo saw right through the white lie.

 

If Izaya was nervous, the average person wouldn’t notice it at all. To Shizuo, however, it was clear as day.

He could see it in the little things. The way Izaya had trouble looking him straight in the eyes, the way he fidgeted at the bag’s straps…

He supposed that standing so close to each other without any taunting, snickering or he himself bursting out in flames of anger was a very rare occasion. However much Shizuo preferred it as…calm like this, it also felt completely _wrong_.

 

“So, uh, Shinra said you’re coming to the party too huh? Guess we’ll see each other there or something!” Shizuo tried as he put on a sincere smile, trying to make Izaya feel more at ease.

 

Oh god, he was so horrible at this.

And now the Flea looked mad.

Great.

Just fucking great.

 

“Yeah…I’m just going to go and continue with…work…” Izaya responded with a bit of bite that came out unsuccessfully, the crease between his brows a sign he was not amused at all, red eyes brimming dangerously.

It left Shizuo wondering what exactly he'd done wrong.

 

Before Izaya could close the door in his face, however, he remembered why he came here in the first place.

 

“Wait!” He rushed out, hand stopping the door from closing, inevitably startling the other.

“Before you lost consciousness…you told me you’re sorry…” Shizuo threw in the Flea’s face directly, the need to know overcoming his skills in patience.

“What did you mean by that?”

 

Izaya’s widened eyes cast downwards immediately at his words in confusion, a sudden tension now building around him.

“I don’t remember that…” Izaya mumbled to the floor, still not facing him. “I was _dying_ , you know.” He added, annoyance seeping into his voice.

 

Shizuo wasn’t satisfied by that answer however, so he just kept his gaze fixed on the once so prideful man in front of him, now not even able to look him in the eyes.

Izaya had to be lying… he had to remember…

 

He was starting to feel frustrated again and it would be just a matter of time before that turned into something more…destructive.

So with a long sigh, despite the promise he made to himself earlier, Shizuo decided to let it go for now.

Before he did something stupid that he would regret later...

 

“Well, See you around then…” He saluted whilst turning away nonchalantly, pulling out a cigarette in anticipation of calming his senses.

He missed the abashed look on Izaya's face at his sudden departure.

 

Right before his finger could hit the elevator button, however, he was unexpectedly interrupted.

 

“Wait!” Izaya suddenly shouted as he nearly stumbled out of his doorway, effectively reversing their previous roles, Shizuo now staring at him in surprise.

 

“I…”

 

Shizuo could only stare in anticipation as Izaya had actual trouble grasping for words, fixated at the tiled floor beneath as if he were having a staring contest with it. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes for a mere second.

 

“For everything I’ve ever done. All the things I’ve caused you, I…”

 

Shizuo’s heartbeat cut short, stunned by Izaya’s resolute gaze capturing his own so suddenly.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

The near-slam of the door that came afterwards didn’t register in Shizuo’s mind. He could only stare at the now empty space, mouth hanging open in shock as his unlit cigarette fell to the floor from his now dry lips.

 

For a moment, Shizuo thought he was dreaming again before his heart picked up its previous pace again, the captured beat a drum in his ear.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tiger plush Erika so lovingly smashes in Izaya's face is a reference to chapter 10 of the novels - A tiger dies to leave its skin. (In which Shinra refers to Shizuo as a 'tiger'.)
> 
> I didn't go very far in the whole nerve/muscle innervation thing regarding Izaya's wrist but if you have any questions regarding that, just shoot. Neurology is super interesting (but also difficult af) ;)
> 
> I hope the chapter update is a bit soothing for those who watched last episode (Why does it still hurt after knowing what will happen? ARGH), writing sure soothes me though, hahaha...*dies*
> 
> Tbh, I'm a bit perplexed at what this story has reached so far, so thanks again for all the support! :)


	12. If You Ever Wore Your Insides, I Wonder Who You'd See?

 

 

 

Izaya was tired of this feeling.

 

The feeling of his heart slamming so hard against the inside of his ribcage that his lungs had trouble gathering air, that his stomach could do nothing but twist in complaint.

Then again, seeing Shizuo always had this… _paralysing_ effect on him now.

 

But was it because of the unsettled death-match, the graveness of his wounds he sustained that night? The knowledge that being so close to one another would’ve always resulted in a hazardous situation in the past?

Or was there something else?

 

“Uh…” the blond muttered in response to Izaya uttering his name suspiciously.

 

Izaya just stared at him as he watched the man struggle for words. If he wasn’t so on edge, this situation would’ve been amusing for sure.

 

“Shinra forgot to give you this!” Shizuo then exclaimed a bit too fast as he jerked the bag up as if Izaya wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.

 

‘Shinra, you motherfucking bastard…’ came the immediate thought.

 

“Of _course_ he did.” He responded somewhat sarcastically, leaning down onto his crutch as he allowed himself to relax a bit. He saw Shizuo following his motion, obviously feeling the tension sink as well.

As he reached for the bag, he didn’t fail to notice how those mocha eyes were roaming over his injuries again.

Did Shizuo really think he was being subtle?

‘Typical’ Izaya thought to himself, some amusement seeping through in the haze of doubt.

 

“It’s not as bad as it looks.”

That wasn’t really true, of course, but at least Shizuo would stop glueing those eyes all over his skin now, acting as if he were curious or actually…worried?

 

Izaya wasn’t sure but then again he didn’t understand the way Shizuo was acting at all anymore.

 

Yes, Izaya had helped save his brother but it’s not like he'd particularly cared about Kasuka in the sea of people, Shizuo probably knew that as well.

Surely, one good act wasn’t enough to make Shizuo’s everlasting rage at him to die down.

Right?

 

“So, uh, Shinra said you’re coming to the party too huh? Guess we’ll see each other there or something!”

 

What the hell was up with that overly joyous tone?

Wait, was Shizuo actually smiling at him now?

 

Izaya couldn't help but frown at the display before him.

That was it.

He  honestly couldn’t stand it anymore, couldn't accept this...situation.

He aimed his sharpest glare at the man in front of him, effectively erasing that forced smile from his face, now replaced with confusion.

 

“Yeah…I’m just going to go and continue with…work…” Izaya responded less biting then he wanted it to be but it would have to do the trick.

 

He just wanted this to end. To be alone again. To _run_ again.

 

“Wait!” Shizuo’s hand shot out to stop the door from shutting and Izaya felt himself freeze up again at the other man’s proximity, an action he still couldn’t seem to suppress.

“Before you lost consciousness…you told me you were sorry…” Shizuo threw in his face without warning and Izaya felt his heart constrict painfully at the memory of when he just gave up again.

 

“What did you mean by that?”

 

Widened red was pointed to the floor as Izaya grew anxious once more.

 

Honestly, he had forgotten about his last words that night. Words that were meant to be spoken as a last farewell, never expected to be heard again.

Yet here he was, put on the spot with no escape with Shizuo’s hard stare baring him down adamantly.

 

He couldn’t exactly fling the door shut in his face, he didn't even have the strength for that yet.

So he took another route to get the blond to leave him alone.

Denial.

 

“I don’t remember that…I was _dying_ , you know.” He let the annoyance seep into his voice as a means of intimidation.

 

For a moment it seemed that Shizuo would not let up and Izaya could sense the building frustration rising in the air around them.

Despite the blond being the reason for him still being alive, he fully expected him to lose it. It’s not like Izaya’s chances of escaping were high in his current state.

 

The sudden sigh that reached his ears broke off said building tension however and the raven glanced up at the sound.

“Well, see you around then…” The blond announced a bit tiredly, disappointment clear in his voice.

And just like that, he turned around, pulled out a cigarette like the bad habit it was and casually walked back to the elevator doors.

 

Izaya’s crimson gaze was imprinted onto the blond’s retreating back in shock.

 

That was it?

Shizuo was going to let him off that easily?

He knew he should be flooding over with relief but he found the opposite to be true. He realised he wanted Shizuo to push him more, _make_ him say what the blond wanted to hear. And yet, he had to be unpredictable again.

He just had to act so damn _human_.

He should’ve known that Shizuo wouldn’t be the same as before, that without him around he would grow to be less instigated, less destructive.

 

His heart sunk to the floor as he realised that the other had moved on into a new world different from his own, a world beyond Izaya’s.

Because he was still stuck there, in the past, the place where he made mistakes, the place where he made the life of the man in front of him utterly miserable, a place where Izaya was always _running_.

Running from his thoughts, his feelings, his wants, his needs, his _fears_.

 

‘Move. Speak. Just do something!’ His mind was screaming at him again.

 

And so Izaya did. His brain doesn’t exactly register what he blurts out at Shizuo whom froze as the Izaya's voice reached him, turning around with a more than surprised look on his face.

 

He’s not sure how he made those steps out of his door but gravity seemed to pull more than usual as his feet were suddenly stuck in place.

 

There was no going back now.

 

“I…” He rasped out, sound suddenly very hard to generate as if someone was strangling him again.

His eyes were torn to the ground as he scraped together the courage to speak his next words.

 

“For everything I’ve ever done. All the things I’ve caused you, I…”

 

‘Don’t run' His mind beckoned once again.

'For once, just face it.’

 

With strength he didn't know he possessed, Izaya aimed determined crimson at confused mocha.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Physically nor mentally unable too, Izaya didn’t wait for a response as he stepped back inside the safe space behind his door, shutting it a bit too effectively before nearly collapsing against it.

 

No, he thought to himself.

 

Facing your fears wasn’t easy at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

“I don’t get it!” Shizuo growled as he paced around in circles. “It’s like someone took over his body or something, like he’s someone else!”

Celty regarded her friend with amusement. Her job today had been pretty dull so she was glad she bumped into Shizuo on the way home, whom apparently had been ‘traumatised’ by Izaya.

 

[He’s just not the same Izaya you once knew, Shizuo.] was her plain response to his nervous behaviour.

 

“Don’t say it like it’s that simple, this is still the Flea we’re talking about here!” Shizuo responded a bit heatedly. Celty just shook her head at him as Shooter snorted.

[Don’t tell me you still think he’s up to something…I really don’t think he planned nearly dying like that, Shizuo…] She replied with a cock of her head. Shizuo pulled at a face at her, spluttering all kinds of incomplete words out of frustration.

 

[Maybe you should try talking to him again? Like…having an actual normal conversation?]

 

Shizuo frowned at her follow-up but did seem to have calmed down a bit as he thought it over.

“I don’t think he wants that.” He sighed while pulling out a cigarette, lighting it up in quick succession.

 

[Do _you_?] She then asked curiously, Shizuo glancing at the screen and then away into the distance again, lips pulled down into a frown.

 

“I don’t know what I want but like this it’s just….” He couldn’t seem to finish his sentence but Celty didn’t need him to.

‘These idiots, I swear…’

 

[Well… I did lecture him quite a bit and he had to deal with a lot these past days…Perhaps it's good to give him some time.]

 

A hint of confusion flickered through Shizuo’s eyes at her words as he pulled at his cigarette.

 

[Think about it, just because Izaya has always dealt with people a lot doesn’t mean he’s used to dealing with them so directly…He always hid behind covers didn’t he? Behind his phone, inside of a crowd, behind that false smile…]

She wondered as Shizuo just read her words silently, a sad look on his face.

[The way he’s been acting… saving the city, apologising to you…] She continued, unsure of how to continue.

 

[Maybe he just wants to feel more human as well.]

 

Shizuo’s eyes softened somewhat, sighing another puff of smoke that carried away into the sunset.

 

“Don’t we all...” He spoke with the edges of his lips turned up in melancholy.

 

They both stared at the sinking sun for a moment, watching as the sky reflected an array of colours that were way to warm in contrast to the bite of the frost still dominating the wind.

 

“By the way...” Shizuo wandered off drowsily as he turned towards her again. “About your wedding, you guys finally got that arranged?”

Celty nodded happily in reply before typing a response.

[Yes! I hope you don’t mind that it’s so private…We kind off just want that special moment all to ourselves, drop all the traditional hassle around it ... It’s hard enough to get it ‘official’ on paper as it is.]

 

Shizuo chuckled at her in amusement.

“It’s al right, I understand…”

 

Celty knew that If anyone understood the feeling of being ‘unhuman’, it was Shizuo, even though he actually was just that, human.

 

She, however, didn’t even have any official documents regarding her existence. She was denied those things from the start, but she never really cared about all that…

It wasn’t easy to arrange an official marriage due to those problems, however, but well…thanks to one particular friend, she and Shinra were able to figure something out.

 

She chuckled to herself at the thought, Shizuo glancing at her curiously.

“Oi, what’s so funny all of a sudden?”

Celty merely waved her hands at him.

[It’s a secret.] she replied, to which the blond scoffed.

 

[So, are you bringing a date?] It was more of a tease then a question, really.

“A date? Hell no.” Shizuo spluttered incredulously, turning a bit crimson on the cheeks.

[What about that Russian girl? You still write to her right?] Celty followed up a bit curiously, leaning on Shooter lazily as she watched Shizuo’s eyes widen a bit at her words.

“Vorona? Celty, she tried to kill you…” He responded a bit bluntly.

 

Celty merely shrugged at him.

 

“Besides, I doubt she would come back to Ikebukuro just for a party…NOT that it won’t be a great party of course!” He quickly added with a grin, Celty giggling at him.

[You bet it will be! I just hope everyone will come…] She wondered, taking in the sky's orange hue some more while Shizuo just smiled at her softly.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” He replied with confidence, which seeped right over into Celty’s skin.

 

She stroked Shooter’s neck as they all watched the top of the sun’s globe disappear out of sight, their world toning down to darkness.

 

Celty’s heart however, shone more brilliantly than ever before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Orihara Izaya Reborn!**

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Why, look who finally came back from the dead.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** I could say the same to you.

 

 **Tsukymoya Shinichi:** Point taken. So, guess you’re quite the hero now eh?

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** If that’s what you were aiming for with your little ‘piece’, I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Oh, so I guess it was someone else that just happened to waltz by and stop those bombs from exploding, not sure how I missed that.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** …

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** You know, if that doesn’t classify someone as a hero then I’m not sure what does, I’ll have to do some research on that, I suppose.

 

 

Izaya rolled his eyes in annoyance as he stared at the screen before him.

 

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** Quit acting like a smartass. I’m not here to dilly-dally.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** You wound me, I’m being totally earnest here, who said anything about dilly-dallying?

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** I’ll just get to the point. You got taken down, that never happened before right? Who was responsible?

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** If I knew that, Orihara-san, I would’ve invited you into the chat room myself. I guess it’s safe to say the people we’re dealing with are no amateurs, in any case.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** I figured as much, it’s pretty obvious Nakura is working under someone else, has he spilled anything yet?

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** I’m afraid the police aren’t hiding anything on that front, he’s surprisingly loyal.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** They must’ve calculated failure into the equation then… which is unsettling. Did anything interesting happen around the time of the event?

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** As much as I’d like to believe the bombs were just a divergence as well, I haven’t found anything suspicious yet. Some traffic accidents, a break-in with the only loot being an old painting, couple of firework-incidents…, the typical cocktail really.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** I see…

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Well, the fact that they let me loose must mean the job is done. I don’t know whether to be happy with that or not.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** I know I’m not.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:**  My fragile heart bleeds, Orihara-san.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** Don’t be ridiculous, you need one first for it to bleed.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Interesting, coming from you.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** But then again, seems like you might’ve just grown something remotely close to a heart, no?

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** This is going nowhere, I’ll come back later to see what you’ve found.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Who says I will? I might have more important things to do, you know.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** If that was true, you wouldn’t have bothered texting me in the first place.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Texting you? That almost sounds like we’re friends.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** Dream all you like.

 

**Orihara Izaya, confirmed dead!**

 

As Izaya stared at his screen aimlessly for a while he wondered how even in this situation, Shinichi would still go through the trouble of teasing him.

Then again, maybe he was being too paranoid. Maybe there was no deeper thing going on but the promise of a new, clean future for Nakura to make him to the dirty work.

But if that was the case, he would just tell the police about his accomplices, why would he still receive a reward if he failed, after all.

 

No, there had to be something more.

 

A frustrated sigh and a cup of coffee later, Izaya tried to clean his mind of worries. Stress wasn’t going to do him any good now.

Typing with one hand had been a real drag too but at least his wrist was hurting less than before. The tingling however, only intensified but he supposed that was a good sign, at least Shinra had said so during his check-up earlier.

 

Shinra had started talking about his many travels with Celty not long after Izaya went to Russia. However happy the doctor had seemed talking over his ‘adventures’, Izaya couldn’t help but feel there was this underlying issue.

His own curiosity unsated, Izaya decided not the beat around the bush with Shinra, for once.

 

_“Shinra…Celty’s head, that was your doing wasn’t it?”_

 

Silence. A smile that spoke a world of pain.

 

_“I really am a terrible person, aren’t I, Orihara-kun?”_

It was funny, really, how easily Shinra literally doomed himself like that. Of course, the things Shinra had done had been less than gracious at certain times, all for the love of the Dullahan he’d so fatefully met.

The thing Shinra had done _that_ night, however, hadn’t been so abhorrent in Izaya’s opinion.

In the end, Celty was happy wasn’t she? Things had worked out just fine, she didn’t even seem to resent Shinra for it either.

 

But the things that Shinra _would_ be capable of to keep Celty at his side... now that was a different story.

Renting a demonic sword to cut off his loved one’s head was one thing but Izaya knew Shinra would be capable of much, _much_ more than that. It was scary, honestly.

_“I guess that’s something we both have in common.”_

 

Saying something like ‘You’re not that bad, Shinra’ wasn’t going to give the other any solace.

No, Shinra needed someone who _understood_ , someone who was able to be just as twisted as him when it came to getting what he wanted.

And Izaya did understand.

 

It was funny really, how Celty and Shizuo were always labelled as ‘monsters’ by society, but people tended to forget that the true monsters always hid under the bed, in the shadows, out of sight.

Monsters like Shinra, monsters like himself…

 

Izaya shook his head in a daze, trying to press the dark thoughts out of his mind.

 

It didn’t surprise him all that much that Celty's head was in Shingen’s possession now, though. Namie was probably doing research on it just to keep it away from her brother’s clutches.

 

Izaya had to chuckle at the memory of her strutting around his apartment with that everlasting scowl pointed at him, no matter how big her pay check was.

Ah, he supposed he had been a bit unfair to her sometimes. Namie was by no definition a kind person either, however.

 

As he stared out into the city again, Izaya suddenly realised how much time had passed already since he’d last seen his assistant.

 

It made him feel more than a little lost as he wondered how much things were going to change now.

After everything that happened, he felt like things were out of place, like _he_ was out of place.

 

Like he was living beyond what was meant for him.

 

What was he supposed to do now? Go back to Russia? Stay here? Do the things he used to do before everything went to hell?

What did he even _want_ to do?

 

As he let himself fall down into the couch lazily, he flicked on the television though the images flashing by didn't quite reach his eyes.

 

He wanted to see Kine and Manami again. He wanted to spend more time with his sisters. He wanted to go back out into the streets and stroll over them as carelessly as he did before.

He wanted to see the city spring to life in the daylight again, wanted to mingle, see, _observe_ like he always loved to do.

 

But most of all, he didn’t want to lose what he had acquired now.

Didn’t want to lose this newfound trust he’d gained, these newfound bonds.

 

He watched the coffee swirl around in his mug, eyes unfocused.

 

If he went back to doing the things he did before, would he change again?

Would he repeat the same mistakes?

Would he lose this unfamiliar feeling of _acceptance_?

 

He decided to stare lazily at the screen in front of him, listening to the people doing their stories, events from nights past still not forgotten. Well, if sensation was what people wanted, the media would be sure to supply.

 

“By now, several sources have confirmed the involvement of The Headless Rider at the scene of the arrest, despite the police denying this. It’s still a mystery however what part he played in the dismantling of the bombs…”

“That’s right! But the real question is, did he work alone?”

“He couldn’t have possibly accomplished this alone. All those bombs were at different locations all over the city! Even he is not that fast.”

“Yes, but we aren’t sure what the extent of his capabilities are…”

 

Izaya chuckled at the fact that they still didn’t know Celty was a ‘She’, not a ‘He’ but oh well, just a minor detail perhaps. It must be bothersome for her though, this sudden attention storm again, just when people were starting to get ‘used’ to her presence in the city.

Well, at least now it was in a positive light.

 

Surprisingly, no-one had called out on ‘Ikebukuro’s Monster’ yet. Izaya supposed that was due to Kasuka’s agency.

Some grains of sand might fall through the seams sooner or later, however…

 

As for Izaya himself, that would depend on future circulations. He had been seen now and he was sure neither Shinra nor Shinichi would be able to keep their mouths shut for long since the latter already decided to write that stupid article about the whole thing. That man just loved to tease Izaya way too much, honestly.

He had faith that Akabayashi would keep his promise, however, but he wouldn’t be able to avoid Shiki for long. Since the Awakusu-kai had been a target as well, Shiki himself must’ve already picked up the scent of danger…

 

Izaya glanced at the neat pinkish card lying on the table in front of him. He tried picking it up with his right hand, succeeding despite the still dominating numbness in his fingers.

 

“I guess this day was bound to come, eh Shinra?” He mumbled to himself with a small smile as he scanned all sides.

He thought back to all those times in middle school when Shinra just wouldn’t shut up about his ‘one true love’ and rolled his eyes.

Meeting Celty had been the most interesting thing. Interesting, because of the way Shinra responded to her, because Shinra could love something that wasn’t human and never would be. Still, clearly knowing that, he still loved her and couldn’t love anyone else but her, or so he proclaimed…

 

It had always disturbed Izaya, but for Shinra’s sake, he decided to respect his decision. Of course, he had never expected the Dullahan to actually love Shinra back.

 _That_ had been surprising.

 

He was also surprised as he spotted the name of his favourite jazz trio at the end of the invitation. He knew Shinra wasn’t a specific fan of the genre so perhaps it was Celty whom exhibited the good taste in music, although he somehow sensed a bit of Akabayashi’s influence in there.

He and Celty were ‘buddies’ after all.

 

Izaya smiled as he was suddenly struck with an idea. That was, until he remembered his little problem as he glared down at his wounded wrist again, poking it a bit with his other hand before he sighed.

 

Pain or no, he decided that this was just going to have to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

_A shrine for the unknowing and those that wear masks, hiding their true selves, their true beings from the rest of us._

_Those were my thoughts upon returning here, to this beloved city after it had just faced a peril that could have easily turned festive happiness into a concoction of fear, hate and grief._

_And now I stand here among those happily choosing to be blind. Those who choose to believe what they do, not because it is true, but because it's easier to look at us like the normal functional family we desire to be, instead of admitting we might be sitting on top of Pandora's box._

_A box that might have already been opened as some of our own tried to cast such chaos upon our harmonious existence. One for selfish pleasures, another for perhaps more justified reasons._

_Now I ask you people of Ikebukuro, do you feel it too? That feeling that there are entities watching us, observing every little motion we make._

_I wonder, where are they, and what do they do with their power?  And if we choose to believe in such beings, would they turn out to be mere Samaritans on our road through life, or will they hold on to what they know to cast the last stone?_

_Let those questions sink in my fellow humans, so that for now we can return to narcissistically admiring our own perfect little world, like an artist admiring the masterpiece he just saved from that one little, but o so daunting flaw._

_And in the end... isn't such perfection what we all crave after?_

_\- Tsukumoya S._

 

 

“He’s not bad… almost makes regret for taking him out for so long, especially since it didn’t matter much anyway…”

 

The creak of a chair, an exasperated sigh followed by an unseen smile.

 

“There’s something I need to confirm…bring Shijima-kun in for another visit, will you?”

The words may have been spoken without much of a threat to them, but the undertone was there.

 

“Yes, Djinn-sama.” Came the curt response, followed by the sound of footsteps that faded out in a matter of seconds.

The addressed man glanced up from the paper to his newest asset, lined by a frame nearly as valuable as the image itself.

 

“I know your face…”

 

In his mind passed a glimpse of eyes that bled crimson and hair as obsidian like the night itself.

 

“Now all I need is your name.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter it'll be party time, literally, haha. Oh god.  
> I hereby also want to thank Fire for helping me out with the 'article' Tsukumoya wrote. Many, many cupcakes and pies I bestow unto thee.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and the super, supersweet comments uptill now, they really motivate me a lot :)


	13. Love Is The Warmest Colour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who want the complete picture, at a certain point you might want to listen to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-neZL4_O6sQ)

 

 

Shizuo wasn’t exactly a party-going type of person.

 

He never really understood what people liked about it, except for maybe the tasty drinks. The inevitable noise however, always succeeded in obliterating the mood for him.

Of course, all of that was completely unrelated to the Flea simply ruining the first ‘party’ he ever went to. All the little shit had to do was _appear_ and then Shizuo had nearly destroyed the entire place.

 

Nope, that had nothing to do with it at all.

 

Tonight however, he would make an exception, merely because of his friends. This was a pretty big moment in their lives, after all.

Oh no, this wasn’t just a party. It was so much more than that.

 

“Celty…” Shizuo’s mouth hung slightly open in awe at the image before him.

 

Never before had he seen Celty dressed in something that wasn’t black or at least grey.

But here she was, standing before them in shimmering white, dress shining like a radiant star beneath the warm glow of the venue’s lights.

 

“Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever laid eyes on?” Shinra’s voice cut through his trance, eyes sparkling nearly as bright as Celty’s dress.

[Oh, Shinra, you’re overreacting!] She typed as she giggled, her soaring gown fluttering with the movement.

 

“You are indeed, a very beautiful sight to behold, Miss Sturluson.”

 

Kasuka filled in politely for Shizuo’s lack of follow up, probably mesmerized as well. Ruri didn’t seem to mind the compliment at all as she congratulated the pair as well.

[Ah, you really didn’t have to bring any gifts! We’re already so thrilled to have you as our guests!] Celty replied to them, all flustered.

“Please do accept, we would like to repay you for what you both have done for us in difficult times.” Kasuka continued monotonously to the happy coulple as Ruri nodded beside him, timidly smiling.

 

As Kasuka added his gift to the growing pile on the table surrounded by countless flower bouquets, Shizuo took a moment to wander his eyes around the place.

Large yet cozy at the same time, everything was a mixed bland of warm reds and grey, lights casting a calm orange gloom across the venue. The roses Shizuo picked from the book stood proudly on every table and decorated the round stage that stood casually to the side, a band already on top of it, relaxing music streaming into the venue.

 

“Oh, Shizuo-kun, you should check out the sweets section, they even have strawberry cakes!” Shinra’s voice suddenly shambled into his ear, startling him.

 

He then noticed Kasuka and Ruri move swiftly to one of the tables as Dennis, dressed in a somewhat more formal attire, approached them carrying a platter with bubbles.

“Tch, you didn’t just get those for me, right?” He asked a bit teasingly as he turned his attention back to Shinra, Celty still gleaming at them from the side.

 

“I said it so many times already but you know…” He started a bit more seriously.

“Congratulations, you two…”  Shizuo finished with a warm smile that Shinra returned as he bursted with joy.

“Thank you very much, Shizuo-kun!” He said as Celty bowed her head in respective thanks, a process she would have to repeat many more times this evening.

 

As Shizuo glanced behind him, he realized others were waiting to congratulate his friends as well, so he decided to take his leave.

“Well then, I’ll be taking a look at those cakes…” The blond quipped as he took his leave.

 

“Do have fun! Oh and don’t break anything Shizuo-kun, it’s all very expensive!”

 

At Shinra’s rowdy call, Shizuo couldn’t suppress the subtle twitch in his forehead. As if he would go and destroy anything without a good reason…

 

Shizuo then remembered that maybe, Shinra was just reminding him of something, or more particularly, _someone_.

 

Not faltering in his step, he glanced around the venue again, eyes searching out black hair and pale skin.

He somewhat relaxed when he didn’t find the person he was looking for even though he wasn't sure why he was getting all nervous over it. After his last encounter with Izaya, he doubted the other would go and seek him out directly anyway.

 

“Shi-zu-o, Nice to see you here!” An all too familiar voice bellowed from behind the long tables covered in delicious-looking foods which instantly made Shizuo’s mouth water.

He greeted Simon cheerfully before taking his pick, something the other man assisted him with in his typical enthusiasm.

 

Well, this was going to be a long evening so he supposed he better started packing that energy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

White dress shimmering around her like an arctic blizzard, Celty felt ecstatic at the compliments she was receiving over it.

Of course, no-one’s fawning eyes would be as satisfying as her lover’s and Shinra didn’t disappoint. It was his doing in the first place, after all.

_“You know Celty, you know I love you in your beautiful black silhouette any time of the day…But for once, I would really love to see you in white.”_

Who was she to deny him something so utterly simple? Of course, she hadn’t expected to fall _in love_ with the dress Anri picked out for her, it just...happened.

The insane price tag however, _also_ happened, but thanks to Izaya’s ‘generous’ payment for delivering that package a while ago, she could afford the dress by herself without leeching any money off of Shinra.

 

She was quite positive that he’d already spent a far to big amount of money on her wedding ring, since he didn’t want to share that information…

She swatted away the little voice in her head that kept repeating ‘You can’t rent the ring but you can rent the dress.’

Instead, she roamed her eyes over the small crowd starting to form around the stage, people split into little groups around the tables, some already enjoying the wide range of foods from the buffet Simon and Dennis so kindly arranged for them. Looks like sushi wasn’t their only strong point.

 _“I ran a bakery once, but it had to close because a customer found mice guts in a cake…it was a sad day.”_ Or so Dennis had claimed.

 

In no time, her eyes found Shinra again, smile radiating from miles away as he conversed happily with Shiki, whom looked somewhat amused at the doctor’s cheerfulness.

 

A little way’s off, Akane was petting Shooter, complementing him on the beautiful red ribbons he was adorned with. Celty knew Shooter didn’t actually like those himself but he seemed happy enough with the attention he was receiving.

 

To the side of the small stage, Anri and Mikado were enjoying the music up close as the latter pointed at one of the musicians, his mouth moving in probable explanation as Anri listened intently with a genuine smile adorning her face.

Their two close friends were not far off, enjoying some freshly made sushi at one of the tables, the girl laughing at the other who unceremoniously dropped a piece on the floor on accident.

Celty had only ever heard stories of Kida Masaomi up til now, from both Mikado and Anri, but she had never actually _met_ the boy properly so she thought this time to be as good as any.

And despite all the chaotic things she had heard of as well as witnessed, he seemed like a kind person, also a bit of a charmer, but quite innocently so.

It reminded her of Mikado’s innocence the first time she had met him…

The girl, Saki, reminded her somewhat of Izaya, her face coated with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She could tell she and the blond boy were an item as soon as she laid eyes on them however.

 

The sound of giggling caught Celty’s attention as she spied two other love-birds sipping a colourful cocktail together in typical intimacy.

Harima Mika and Yagiri Seiji had come all the way from America to celebrate her and Shinra’s marriage. Sadly, they didn’t come all that way alone, although she was glad they left behind Seiji’s crazy sister.

In any case, Shingen had taken a little ‘vacation’ from his company on the other side of the ocean, just so he could attend the party.

He was already springing around the place, bothering all the other guests by practically invading their personal space, asking them how exactly they knew their son and ‘daughter in law’ so well.

If he went too far, however, Shooter would go and chase him away. He took his job as the evening’s ‘bodyguard’ very extensively, much to Celty’s amusement.

Thankfully, Emilia also managed to get Shingen’s attention from time to time. Now, despite Celty insisting that it wasn’t necessary at all, she was sorting out all the gifts they had received neatly on the table behind the fresh bride.

Celty supposed it was just in the woman’s nature to be so nurturing in every little thing.

 

Next, her eyes roamed to the dance floor, which was being dominated by Erika and Walker in surprisingly good skill as they enjoyed the smooth beats of the jazz, the saxophonist swinging along with them. Kadota and Togusa were merely smiling at them from a distance as they conversed over some champagne and ootoro.

Suddenly two other forms joined the dance floor as well, dragging an unamused third with them.

Well, she supposed dancing with the Orihara twins was a challenge all on itself, but Aoba didn’t seem that much of a cheery person to start with. She wasn’t overly fond of the boy, but he _was_ Mikado’s friend and seemed pretty close with Mairu and Kururi as well.

She chuckled in her mind as she imagined a certain informant’s reaction to that information.

 

“My, my Celty-san I must say you look absolutely astounding in that dress.”

She knew who was behind the crisp voice the moment she heard it sneak up next to her.

As she bowed in thanks, Akabayashi whistled at the sight before him cheekily.

 

In moments like these, Celty was glad she didn’t have a face because then everyone would be able to see her everlasting red cheeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Everything was just perfect.

The food was delicious, the music was subtle yet endearing, the fresh roses bled the most beautiful depth of red possible, the guests were enjoying themselves and Celty has never looked as stunning as she did now, all for him.

But there was still one thing missing or better said, one particular person.

 

[I’m sure he'll be here soon.] Celty tried to ease his mind and Shinra merely smiled lovingly at her in reply.

“Ah, who knows, it’s not that important anyway…” He lied to her in vain as Celty just shook her head at him.

[Did he seem off last time you checked up on him or something?] She inquired curiously.

Shinra just shook his head with a sigh.

[Well if he isn’t here in 15 minutes I’ll send Shooter to drag him over here, okay?] She snickered mischievously, making Shinra’s eyes widen before he laughed along with her as he imagined the sight of Shooter trying to convince Izaya to climb on his back.

 

As the lights slightly dimmed, their little moment was interrupted by the sound of tapping originating from the stage, capturing everyone’s attention.

When Shinra’s eyes reached said stage however, they widened comically as he saw none other than Orihara Izaya sitting there behind the grand piano, dressed in his complementing designer suit with the typical smug curve dominating his lips, completing the picture.

“Excuse me everyone, if I may have your attention for a moment.” The band’s vocalist began in a tone that spoke of slight annoyance, even though the man's face exclaimed the depiction that was delight.

“It appears that we have a _special_ performance here tonight and you know, I usually don’t allow this but since it’s for this smart-ass bastard over here, I’mma make an exception.” He finished as he went over to Izaya and stuck the microphone in his face.

“You wanna say something first, shrimp?”

 

Amused, Izaya smirked as he looked into the crowd, crimson meeting grey spot on in a mischievous gaze.

 

“Shinra…let’s see if you remember this one…”

 

As Izaya birthed his first notes underneath those slim fingertips, the meaning behind his simple words became utterly clear to Shinra as he was sucked back into the past, back to a particular memory.

 

 

_“Ne, ne Orihara-kun!”_

_“What?” came the annoyed response as Izaya looked up from the keys to point his glare at the bespectacled invader._

 

_Music class had just ended and Izaya was still busy studying up on one of the sheets laid out in front of him. Playing the piano seemed difficult to Shinra, and as fascinated as he was, he loved listening to Izaya play it, even if the he didn’t seem to appreciate the attention at all._

_“You’re really good at this, aren’t you? Where’d you learn to play?” Curiosity dripped form Shinra’s lips as Izaya regarded him with a sudden soft touch in his eyes._

_“My mother taught me…” He spoke softly before turning his annoyed gaze to the sheets again, brows creased._

_Shinra hummed gingerly in response, eyes following every movement Izaya’s fingers made._

 

_“You know the song Passion by Utada Hikaru?” He chirped out in between notes, Izaya unperturbed by his question._

_“The one they’re spamming on the radio? Yeah I’ve heard it.” The other responded after a while as Shinra almost thought he was being ignored._

_“Can you play it?”_

_Then Izaya’s fingers stopped in their tracks as he glanced at Shinra with a dead-panned expression before curtly responding “No.”_

_“For me?” Shinra tried again, eyes wide and sparkling like a newborn puppy._

_“No.” Izaya came again, folding up his music sheets and collecting his things before moving to leave the room, Shinra not far behind._

 

_“But it’s such a beautiful song! It completely depicts my feelings for Celty too!” The soon to be medical student continued in a sing-song voice as Izaya just kept walking on, ignoring his fawning._

_“You’re hopeless.” He just replied as they walked down the school’s hallways._

_“Oh come on, pretty please? Promise you’ll play it for me one day! As a token of our friendship!” They reached the lockers then, Izaya still neglecting his every word._

 

_Right before they parted at the school’s entrance, Izaya quietly mumbled a “Maybe someday.” before he took off._

_Shinra just smiled after him like an idiot before yelling out his response from the top of his lungs._

_"That’s a promise!”_

 

 

And so, here was that promise, laid out bare in front of him, striking his soul in the form of unseen sound in all its achievable glory.

The familiar melody of the song became apparent in every note Izaya played with something Shinra could only describe as passion itself.

Left and right, everyone was staring in nothing but awe, surprise and maybe even shock but Shinra absolutely couldn’t quite blame them.

Next to him, Celty was holding her hands together in joyful anticipation, probably enjoying this as much as he was.

 

Sucked in by the beautiful melodic tempest that Izaya just brought to life, just for him, Shinra closed his eyes and let it consume him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

‘What the fuck am I doing.’

 

That thought was repeated more than once in the past couple of minutes.

Of course, Izaya very well knew what he was doing, he just couldn’t grasp the fact that he was _actually_ about to play live for everyone to see and hear.

It was a thing he hadn’t done since his music classes in middle school and even then, all he had to do was support the choir and thus, he was easily ignored in the background.

This was hardly comparable.

 

Once his fingers pressed down to claim the first notes however, all of Izaya’s worries were swiped away like the seeds of a dandelion, plucked by the wind.

Eyes closed and fingers moving across the surface in practised memory, Izaya hardly felt the still nagging pain of his wrist. Luckily, the hard parts were mostly reserved for his left hand.

Throughout the changing melodies, every rise, every decrescendo, It was just him, the music and Shinra’s memory in his head.

And before he knew it, the piece was already nearing its end.

 

The last notes were released timidly underneath his pale fingertips as they echoed through the venue, the silence that followed was suffocating in a way that Izaya’s own breathing became too loud to his ears.

Startled, crimson revealed itself again at the deafening noise that followed only a second later. Just as he realized it was actually the clapping of hands, a sudden weight flung itself into his side.

 

“Oh, Izaya!” Shinra exclaimed in heartfelt bliss as he hugged Izaya a bit too tightly to his liking, tears dropping onto his expensive suit.

 

Oh well, at least Shinra spoke his first name on a much happier note this time…

 

“This was the best gift you could’ve ever given me!” His friend continued as he nearly suffocated Izaya, who was half struggling out of his grip now. Still, Izaya couldn’t help but laugh a bit heartily as he grumbled that he couldn’t breathe.

When Shinra finally released him, Celty appeared before him as well, not even wasting a second in claiming him in a hug of her own, completely stunning him again. Hers lasted a bit shorter though, which his lungs were thankful for.

 

[That was truly beautiful, thank you so much!] She typed in a quick follow up as Izaya recovered from the ‘assault’. He chuckled at her in response, teasing smirk back in place.

“What can I say… congratulations you two.” He then offered, Shinra smiling sweetly at him in response as Celty bowed politely in appreciation.

 

Everyone’s stares suddenly became very apparent to Izaya as he could feel them drilling into his skin.

In the spur of the moment, the band started playing again, successfully returning everyone’s attention elsewhere, except for Walker and Erika’s, whom kept cheering “We want more!” until Kadota finally shut them up.

As he slipped of the stage with the happy couple, he mentally patted himself on the back at the performance he just neatly completed, despite his little ‘handicap’.

 

Unknown to Izaya, however, the toughest part of the evening was still to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right after an overly weird and confusing conversation with the Orihara twins, Shizuo settled for joining Kadota for a while. The man always had this relaxing aura around him and the blond could really use that right now.

Even though that feeling was just about to be completely obliterated.

 

 

“Wait, isn’t that Izaya behind the piano?” Kadota’s words registered a bit too slow in Shizuo’s mind.

“Eh?” He responded a bit drowsily as he sipped his fruit juice, eyes glancing over to the stage.

 

It took every ounce of his willpower to keep the drink from spurting out of his mouth as he laid eyes on Izaya sitting there behind the piano like it was his second home.

Kadota stared at his discomposure in slight surprise, before returning his attention to the stage again at the announcement of a ‘special’ performance.

 

The following minutes, Shizuo could do nothing but stare in amazement at how Izaya’s fingers danced over the piano’s keys effortlessly, apparently not even needing his vision to guide his movements, the smug bastard…

 

It was yet another side of Izaya he had never witnessed before and Shizuo couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets the Flea still kept burrowed within himself.

 

As the realization struck him that he actually felt curious about it all, Shizuo almost slapped himself in the face.

Almost.

 

A sudden crescendo tuned Shizuo back into the song.

He didn’t know much about piano, not even music in general, but he was sure everyone agreed to say that the piece Izaya was playing was truly beautiful.

The Flea’s hands moved with more elegance than Shizuo would’ve ever gifted him with, but it actually suited Izaya more that he dared to admit.

 

When the song ended, Shizuo was still stuck staring, registering the applause around him a little too late as he joined in awkwardly with slight delay.

He couldn’t resist putting on a smile as Shinra ‘attacked’ Izaya in a crushing hug, completely abashing said person and probably the majority of the small crowd.

When Celty also hugged the Flea, however, Shizuo’s hands were unable to continue their previous clapping motion as they froze in shock at the completely unexpected sight.

 

“Oi Shizuo, you alright?” Kadota came next to him again, no hint of worry apparent in his voice, instead, Shizuo thought he sensed something akin to amusement in there.

‘NO, I’M NOT.’ his mind boggled but his mouth was able to form the exact opposite.

“Peachy.” He merely replied, Kadota merely smirked at him in a knowing way.

 

Slightly grumbling, Shizuo turned away, eyeing his old enemy again as he and the happy couple just strolled down from the stage, the band already playing again, luckily.

Walker and Erika were starting to give him a headache with all their yelling.

 

“IZAYA!” The scream startled quite a few people in its proximity as a girl he did not recognize appeared, eyes wild and smiling.

“You’ve never played such a beautiful piece for me before…I’m jealous!” She continued as Izaya just stared at her, seemingly frozen in place.

 

“Manami…”

 

Shizuo heard Izaya mumble in shock, eyes wide like a rabbit in headlights.

 

“Surprise!” Some bald guy suddenly joined in next to the girl, looking all calm and amused.

 

 

And then Izaya was getting hugged. _Again_.

 

What was this? Hug the fucking Flea day or something?

 

 

“Y-you guys…” Izaya stuttered in disbelief.

“When did you even get here?” He followed up in a laugh as the girl, Manami apparently, started eyeing him from top to bottom.

“We got invited, of course!” She chirped as she threw up her hands. “Kinda wanted to surprise you.” She added happily.

“Well… mission accomplished I’d say.” Shinra added in then as he winked at Izaya, whom scoffed at them all in response, obviously trying to hide his smile behind the typical annoying smirk Shizuo knew him for so well.

 

The two strangers then proceeded to properly congratulate the married couple as the Flea brushed off his suit with a frown, undoubtedly displeased with the many hugs he just had to go through.

Shizuo had a hard time removing his eyes from the scene unfolding in front of him, intrigued by the way the girl handled Izaya in such a _close_ way.

He just couldn’t imagine the Flea being romantically involved with _anyone_ , however, let alone such a cute girl. The thought irked him in a way he couldn’t quite grasp…

 

“Brother, that’s going to burst…”

It was a good thing Kasuka just appeared beside him, because else the blond would’ve just ruined a perfectly nice glass because of reasons he couldn’t even begin to explain.

His brother just gave him a knowing look however, as he could always see right through Shizuo, making his face go all red unwillingly.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he decided to take a little bathroom break as he excused himself.

 

When he came back, Mairu and Kururi tried dragging him to the dance floor during some upbeat song.

Of course, he blatantly refused, Kadota laughing at him from the side until Erika came to drag _his_ ass away to dance instead.

 

More annoying situations and many, many drinks and pieces of wedding cake later, Shizuo ended up chatting around a small standing table with the van gang again, minus Togusa, whom was collecting a whole platter of snacks.

Meanwhile, Kasuka and Ruri were idly chatting with his old nemesis a little distance away. It almost seemed as if they were old acquaintances and Shizuo couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about, but the Flea seemed to enjoy it, in any case…

 

“You know Shizuo, it’s pretty amazing seeing you and Izaya standing in one room together without trying to kill each other…” Kadota put in as he followed Shizuo’s gaze.

Shizuo merely grunted at him in response.

“Ne, ne Shizu-chan! You and Izaya are like…friends now right?” Erika suddenly chimed in, grin mischievous and challenging.

 

‘Friends? FRIENDS?’

 

“Hell no!” He responded quickly, trying to hid his annoyance by taking a swing at his glass.

“Oh okay…. _Special_ friends then?” She prodded again, eyes sparkling in a way that made Shizuo’s stomach churn in discomfort.

Kadota rolled his eyes at her as Shizuo growled in frustration.

 

“Special friends?” Ruri’s voice suddenly appeared into the conversation, startling both Shizuo and Erika a little as they both started spluttering nonsense, receiving odd glances from Ruri and Izaya while Kasuka just looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

 

Togusa also appeared just a second later, carrying his platter with a bunch of tasty looking dishes that he kindly offered to the others.

Well, after offering everything to Ruri first…

The guy kept making these weird whimpering noises whenever Ruri spoke and Shizuo wondered if Togusa was having mental issues until he remembered the entire ordeal concerning New year's eve...

 

“My, my Dota-chin, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you all suited up.” The Flea’s smooth voice carried out a bit teasingly, Kadota giving a hearty laugh in response.

“That’s because it _has_ been, you don’t look half bad yourself though.”

 

Shizuo, although stubbornly, found himself agreeing with those words. It’s not like it’s that surprising that Izaya was dressed in a most definitely personally tailored suit, sleek black sticking to him in all the right places. Subtle tinges of bordeaux lined through that made his crimson eyes stand out even more.

He quit his staring episode when he noticed Erika gleaming at him from the side again, denying her any more annoying questions.

 

As everyone continued conversing on various innocent subjects as well as admiration for Izaya’s piano skills, Shizuo caught a few of Izaya's glances in his direction.

As soon as he felt that gaze pointed on him, his own would search out the other’s as if it were a reflex.

Every time their eyes ‘bumped’ however, Izaya would quickly look away again. It made him seem oddly embarrassed but considering their last encounter, he sort of understood why he would be.

 

Like Celty had mentioned, apologizing must’ve been a very hard thing to do for the Flea… and here they were, both doing their best to act like everything was ‘normal’ between them, as if they’d never tried to kill each other relentlessly in the past.

 

But there was nothing ‘normal’ about them, was there?

 

After all, so many things were still left unresolved and Shizuo wondered if he should try talking to Izaya tonight, even if just once…

 

“Oi Izaya, you okay?” Kadota’s voice then lingered into his mind, Shizuo’s gaze as well as everyone’s suddenly falling on Izaya, or more precisely, his slightly shaking glass.

Izaya looked a bit surprised at Kadota’s question before he realized his hand was exhibiting a bit of a tremor. He quickly grabbed his wrist with his other hand as the shaking stopped abruptly.

 

“Ah, guess I overdid it a bit after all.” He muttered casually as he carefully set down the glass on the table before rubbing his right wrist in a soothing motion.

“Do excuse me for a moment.” He winked at no one in particular before smoothly making his way to the men’s room, Shizuo frowning after him.

 

A sudden opportunity then clicked in his mind as he excused himself as well, the others staring after him in slight confusion. Kasuka gave him a little comforting nod from the corner of his eyes, however.

 

Izaya was always one to hide in crowds, but if it was just him and Shizuo, he wouldn’t be able to run so easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He hadn’t really noticed the pain until he’d focused on the glass shaking in his hand.

It’s more a tale of exhaustion than anything else though, the piece he played hadn’t been easy and perhaps still a bit too demanding for his wrist in its state but Izaya didn’t mind the current nagging pulse travelling through his palm all that much.

The wound had already healed up rather nicely and it looked just fine, the bandage still white and clean too so Izaya decided it would just have to suffice for the rest of the evening.

The bathroom was as fancy as expected to be in a venue like this, he mused to himself as he laid down his bare forearm down onto shining porcelain, sleeve pushed up to the crease of his elbow.

Even after two weeks, he was still exceptionally bad at applying the bandage himself. Granted, Shinra usually just did it for him, not really giving Izaya much of a chance to practice.

Slightly cursing under his breath, Izaya half-fought with the bandage around his wrist before a low voice interrupted his struggle.

 

“Need some help with that?”

 

His body reacted before his eyes did, muscles tensing up in familiar anticipation. Deep red met soft mocha and Izaya felt an instant wave of fear run through his nerves again but he dared not move from his position.

As he took in Shizuo’s relaxed state, eyeing him somewhat worriedly, Izaya willed his unfounded feelings away.

 

‘Just breathe for fuck sake.’

 

Shizuo apparently took his silence as a vote of approval, slowly reaching out for Izaya’s exposed wrist as if it was made of glass.

In careful yet unexpectedly skilled expertise, Shizuo handled the bandage with ease.

 

“Does it hurt?” The blond asked quietly as he wove the bandage around Izaya’s wrist.

“Just a bit…” He replied just as soft, unable to take his eyes off of Shizuo’s hands treating him with such uncharacteristic care. Something he got to experience for the second time now…

He blamed the sudden rise of temperature in his blood on the mix of wine and nervousness he still couldn’t completely suppress at the blond’s proximity.

 

Once Shizuo was done, his gaze shifted slightly upwards, the mere stare of his eyes prickling Izaya’s skin as it traveled up his bare forearm. An unreadable expression formed on the blond’s face that drew the raven’s gaze to it, unnoticed by the other.

Izaya _almost_ jumped when he felt the featherlight touch of the blond’s fingers on his skin, carefully tracing one of his many scars that were apparent in the room’s bright lights.

His lips turned downwards at the nearly forgotten leftovers from his surgeries, Shizuos touches lighting the renewed skin on fire.

 

Part of him wanted to tell the other to stop. To quit invading his personal space like that so impolitely.

The other part, however, just begged him to surrender, to _let it be_. 

He’d put himself under Shizuo’s mercy before, had laid down his life at the other’s feet more than once now so this was _nothing_ compared to that, right?

 

In the company of stubbornness and denial, Izaya began to accept that maybe, just _maybe_ , the other touching him like this was actually somewhat…relaxing…

 

The face Shizuo pulled when he explored the edges of foreign material around his elbow bestowed the opposite effect to his mind however and Izaya got a sudden sinking feeling as the blond’s eyes glazed over with something he immediately recognized as guilt.

 

“Izaya…I…” Shizuo began in a tone so regretful, alarm bells starting ringing in Izaya's head in apt response.

 

Shizuo couldn’t…

 

He wasn’t…

 

No, scratch that, Izaya just wouldn’t _let_ him.

 

 

“I’m-

“Don’t.” He bit out a bit harsher then intended, interrupting Shizuo as his head snapped up in surprise as he met Izaya’s cold gaze.

 

“Everything that happened that night… everything you did to me…I deserved that.”

Izaya followed up adamantly, believing every word like it was his lifeline.

 

He didn’t miss the further widening of Shizuo’s eyes in response, however.

 

“How can you say that?” the blond bit out in disbelief, expression morphing into anger that seeped into his voice at his next words.

 

“Izaya, I _slammed_ you into a building with a scaffold!”

Shizuo started nearly yelling at him as Izaya steeled himself, eyes hardening.

 

“I literally tried to punch your chest, broke both your arms and then I even threatened to crush you with a vending machine!”

Shizuo continued as he squeezed Izaya’s arm lightly between his fingers as if to remind him just _what_ it was he had done.

 

The sensation hardly settled in Izaya's mind however as he just couldn’t restrain his next response.

 

“Shizuo, the day we met, I got you hit by a fucking truck!” He snapped back, not giving a window for Shizuo to respond.

 

“I sent gangs after you for years and got you arrested multiple times for crimes you didn’t commit!” His mind was starting to blur and even though he knew he was starting to raise his voice, Izaya could do nothing to stop it.

 

“I endangered those you care about, I tried to bash in your head with an excavator, I rained down iron beams on you from the fucking sky!” Izaya continued to hiss at Shizuo defiantly, as if reminding himself of all the things he had done.

 

“I cut you, stabbed you, spilled your blood all over the streets, asphyxiated you- I FUCKING TRIED BURN YOU ALIVE!”

 

Izaya’s vision swam in clouds as those last words left his mouth from between vicious lips, Shizuo regarding him as if he’d gone crazy.

 

Why didn’t Shizuo just understand that this wasn’t right?

Why was Shizuo the one feeling guilty over what he’d done when it was _Izaya_ who had played out the cards that time and all the times before that.

When it was _Izaya_ who had taunted him into crushing him with the vending machine in the first place.

 

Izaya steeled his eyes again as he regarded the shock still laid out on the blond’s face, even now as he kept staring at Izaya, unable to form a response.

 

Diverging his eyes, he became somewhat conscious of his now rugged breathing and the fact the Shizuo was still holding his arm a bit too tightly.

In an instant, he ripped it free, the blond easily letting go as Izaya held his arm to his chest as if it had just been burned.

 

“I’m sorry, I-..I can’t do this right now…” He rasped out messily as he quickly made his way out of the bathroom, not able to give Shizuo another glance as he made his escape.

 

 

Despite the fire burning down his insides, Izaya managed to put on his typical mask of indifference before entering the venue again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the koi swam swiftly in celestial shining silver, the raven watched how they made small waves ripple all over the shallow pond.

The moon always had this pulling effect on him, its vivid light bringing out a feeling of homeliness that originated from something he couldn’t quite place.

Perhaps constantly being out at night had changed his biorhythm to something nocturnal, even if he had the freedom to do things differently nowadays…

 

The cold didn’t seem to bother the fish at all while Izaya’s skin was being bitten repeatedly by the Winter’s touch again.

He couldn’t go back inside yet, however.

He just needed a little bit more time…

 

Losing his composure like that left him feeling rather disappointed with himself, although he did blame Shizuo too…

Did the blond seriously think Izaya was just going to let him apologize like that?

‘Stupid protozoan and his stupid, fancy suit…’

 

“Orihara-san, it’s been such a long time.”

A bit surprised by the sudden perpetrator, crimson turned to meet shadowy blue that shone timidly in the moonlight.

 

Izaya’s smirk formed on his lips once more as he returned the greeting.

“Indeed it has been, Mikado-kun.”

 

Said person smiled ever so innocently in return.

Izaya could see the other had grown older, a different air around him than since they’d first met, but still…his eyes still held that same typical _offness_ about them that always left Izaya wondering what exactly was going on inside the boy’s head.

 

“I see you’ve made quite the recovery as well.”

Izaya asked casually as he wandered his eyes around the garden for a moment, looking for that particular _attachment_ Mikado had brought with him to the party. The latter chuckled in response.

“Don’t worry, Anri is busy talking with Erika.” He added as he offered Izaya a knowing look.

 

‘Just talking, eh?’ He thought to himself in amusement as he remembered just how close those two were.

 

“But yes, looks like we both came back from the dead somewhat, even though I didn’t miss the first plane back.” Mikado joked around and then it was Izaya’s turn to laugh.

“I heard you’ve been busy though…” The younger one followed up with an underlying tone of amused suspicion, smile still stuck on his face.

 

“You mean the piece from earlier? It was merely a promise that still needed to be fulfilled, really.” Izaya responded gingerly to which the other lightly shook his head.

“As much as I enjoyed that as well, I meant something else… you know, that _thing_ that happened a little more than two weeks ago now?” Mikado tried again to which Izaya closed his eyes, smirking into his next words.

“I’m afraid I’m not following you, Mikado-kun, whatever are you implying?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you know what I mean, Orihara-san.” The other quipped back as he fumbled at a sakura blossom that was blooming a tad too early for its own good.

“Rumors have been circulating for a while now… Tsukumoya’s passage had me thinking and you being here now pretty much confirms it.”

 

Seriously, this boy was too perceptive for his own good.

 

“I see.” Izaya replied simply. “And what are you going to do with that information if I may ask?”

“Oh, I think I’ll keep it between us, you know, _out of respect_.” Mikado winked at him, to which Izaya chuckled again. It was always so lovely when people threw his own words back at him.

 

“Ah, looks like you’ve got another ear waiting for you.” The younger one suddenly chirped with that false innocence again, Izaya merely following Mikado’s gaze to the appearance of Celty patiently standing to the side.

“I suppose I’ll see you around.” Mikado concluded happily to which Izaya raised his glass. “Say hi to your girlfriend from me.” He replied mischievously after the other whom nodded at Celty in his passing.

 

Said Dullahan silently came up to him and Izaya regarded her with delight.

 

“Hey, he came to me this time.” He put up his arms in surrender as Celty chuckled at him.

[I know, I know…He’s all grown up now though, you’re going to have to do your best if you want to corrupt him again…]

 

Izaya placed a hand on his heart, feigning hurt.

 

“Corrupt anyone? Me? You wound me Celty-san.” He replied through smirking lips.

[Oh, shut it you...] She replied, amused as Izaya chuckled along before stilling again, sipping at his wine gracefully as he stared at the orange spotted koi again.

It was meant as a joke of course, but there was still some truth to it. And even after all the strings Izaya had pulled in Mikado’s life as well as those of his friends, the boy didn’t loathe him for it…

 

“So, to what do I owe this honorific visit hm?” He asked Celty gingerly after a moment of comfortable silence.

[Just came to check on you… you looked a little pale when you left the bathroom earlier... are you okay?]

 

Ah, of course Celty had to fuss over him again, even on her own wedding party…

 

“I’m afraid this has always been my natural skin color, but if you need to know, my vitamin D levels are top-notch.” He replied mischievously to which he received a stern tap in the ribs, nearly making him spill his wine.

[You know what I mean, Izaya...] She followed up rather sternly and Izaya frowned at her seriousness.

 

“It’s nothing.” He replied simply.

 

Celty did a sighing motion before typing a response.

 

[You know, I really am grateful for you and Shizuo both coming to this party without…making a mess of things and I know you don’t want to talk about it but…] She continued hesitantly to which Izaya sighed, feeling a bit guilty over her concern.

 

“We’re… _dealing_ with things.” He said then, smiling at her. “You really don’t have to worry about it…”

 

Celty merely shook her head at him again, even though she seemed happy at getting at least _some_ information out of him.

 

“You know, Shinra is going to start going crazy soon if he has to miss you any longer.” He then spoke, Celty nodding at him in return.

[Definitely... let’s go back inside, before your wine freezes.] She half-ordered.

Figuring that refusing said order would be a very foolish thing to do, he walked back inside the venue with her, the warmth a welcoming flood to his senses.

 

He supposed Celty fussing over him wasn’t such a bad thing…

 

 

“Yo, Orihara-san.”

He wasn’t even able to pass by the stage before he got called on again. He supposed the attention was to be expected after his little ‘act’.

 

“Oi, don’t go ignoring us now that you’re a little virtuoso in the making eh.” Another voice joined in with Akabayashi’s.

“Easy, easy gentlemen, I’m doing no such thing.” He approached the two with a little bow that made Hayato, the band’s lead singer and pianist, cackle in amusement.

 

“That was a very beautiful piece you played earlier, Orihara-san, I had no idea you possessed such artistic skills.” Akabayashi said to him in earnest admiration.

“Glad you enjoyed.”

“As long as you didn’t infect Elisabeth with your ‘smartass-ness’ it’s all fine to me too!” Hayato replied a bit too sincerely.

 

Who in the world would name their instrument?

 

“I’m sure she’ll live, old man.” Izaya replied with a roll of his eyes as the other grumbled some more at him, Akabayashi watching them with an amused smirk. Somehow, he managed to get hold of some whisky, Izaya noticed.

As Hayato repositioned himself behind ‘Elisabeth’ to fall in with the next song, the Red Demon creeped a bit closer to the raven.

 

“Oi, Shiki’s asked after you, do you mind?”

Izaya immediately glanced in said person’s direction, not failing to catch the Shiki’s stern gaze upon his own form while Kine was just leaving his side after ‘catching up’, probably.

“He must’ve been giving you a hard time, no?” Izaya asked Akabayashi a bit knowingly without breaking his smirk nor the eye contact with the man dressed in his typical white suit.

“I’m pretty good at avoiding questions, Orihara-san.” The demon responded smoothly, “But you and I both know you can’t keep running forever.”

Izaya hummed at him as he finally turned his eyes away from Shiki, consequentially sipping his wine, appearing as relaxed as his expression.

He couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous on the inside, however.

 

Because Akabayashi was right, he couldn’t keep running forever.

So as Izaya announced his departure to the other whom kept smirking in reply, he moved towards Shiki like a raven meeting a hawk for a comfortable chat.

Now, to become the prey or to team up to find one, was yet to be seen.

 

“Beautiful evening, isn’t it, Shiki-san?”

 

Umber eyes turned to him curiously.

“Orihara, finally decided to show your face again I see…”

 

“Oh please, I’ve been around for quite a while now, don’t act like you don’t know.” Izaya challenged the other, whom merely smirked at him.

“I was just wondering if that was actually _you_. I still am, actually, seeing as you and Heiwajima are able to be in the same room without acting like rabid teenagers now…”

 

Izaya frowned at the mention of his old enemy. If only people would stop mentioning Shizuo, he wouldn’t have to remember how much of a fool he just made of himself in the bathroom.

 

“I’m not in the mood to talk about that protozoan, so why don’t you just tell me what it is you wanted to discuss, Shiki-san?” He replied a bit coldly, which only seemed to feed Shiki’s knowing smirk.

“Very well.” He replied as he sipped a taste at his champagne before continuing.

 

“How do I say this…my current _sources_ are rather…shortcoming. I need someone who is as reliable as he’s trustworthy though I’m not sure if I’m making the right choice here…” Shiki explained with tinges of doubt as he regarded Izaya a bit sternly again.

“I’m afraid I’m not exactly following…at what time in you service have I _not_ been loyal to the Awakusu-kai?” Izaya replied in false honesty, gaining a narrowing glance from the other in response.

“Don’t play games with me Orihara, I know about the things you did.” Shiki said disapprovingly as he nodded his head towards Akane happily prancing around with his sisters as if to prove a certain point.

 

Izaya suddenly felt the sweat creep on his skin as he slightly froze at Shiki’s words.

 

“But I also know about the _favor_ you did us a little while ago… or at least I’m going to interpret it that way.” The stern man followed up quickly, leaving no room for the raven to reply.

 

“I’ll let you think about it, if you accept, call me and we’ll discuss things from there.” He concluded as he turned to Izaya, stare dead-serious.

“But if you do accept, you better ‘up’ that loyalty of yours to the level of either your looks or your musician’s skills, Orihara.”

 

Leave it to Shiki to give a compliment dressed up like a threat.

 

Izaya then watched the other stalk of to the buffet in silence, face masked in his typical smirk again.

He didn’t get to enjoy his peaceful moment for long, however.

 

“Iza-nii!”

 

‘Oh hell…’ Izaya thought with a mental roll of the eyes as Mairu’s voice hollered all the way to him.

“Dance…(come dance with us)” Kururi asked with a smile so sweet it made refusing an extremely hard thing to do.

 

Oh well, dancing with his sisters couldn’t be that bad, right? Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to send a certain warning to that Kuronuma kid…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So Shizuo-kun, how’re you holding up, hm? Found a woman with a strength-kink yet?”

The addressed blond might not completely show it on his face, but internally, he was screaming in frustration.

 

Why did Shinra’s dad have to be such a weirdo? He hadn’t even taken off his gas mask either and it was his own son’s wedding for fuck sake.

 

“I’m doing perfectly fine and no, I’m pretty sure most women aren’t into someone with a debt as ridiculously high as mine because of said ‘strength’…” He managed to grumble out somewhat politely.

“Oh, you’d be surprised what women are into these days!” Shingen replied enthusiastically as he started rambling over a bunch of insane fetishes.

 

Shizuo tried to tune him out, he _really_ did.

How the hell did Celty deal with this guy?

 

At Celty passing through his thoughts, he tried to seek her out in hopes that she would notice his torture session so she would come and save him.

Sadly, Celty was too busy dancing in a cute slow-show with Shinra as the band played a gentle ballad.

He spied other couples dancing in the same intimacy as well and even though he wasn’t sure if Erika and Walker were an item, they sure had fun dancing with those roses in their mouths…

Mairu and Kururi somehow managed to drag their brother to dance with them too, and to Shizuo’s surprise, Izaya ‘sort of’ did, even if he seemed really unenthusiastic about it.

 

Ever since their little ‘conversation’ in the bathroom, Izaya wouldn’t spare him a single glance anymore and it greatly annoyed Shizuo.

More than anything, he just wanted to grab the Flea, drag him outside and _make_ him talk about the things left unsaid between them. The loop of accusations and unsaid apologies they were stuck in was driving Shizuo absolutely _crazy._

 

But this was one of the most important happenings in his best friends’ lives, and he promised himself that he wouldn’t make a scene tonight, no matter what happened.

So he wouldn’t.

 

“Oh, I love this song! Let’s dance too, sweetheart!” A blonde woman suddenly appeared to save Shizuo from his misery as she dragged the mad scientist away whom still continued his rant until he reached the actual dance floor.

 

Shizuo sighed in relief as he finally had a moment of peace.

 

“You alright?” Kadota suddenly popped up next to him, a compassionate look on his face as he probably witnessed Shingen’s entire monologue.

“I’ll live.” The blond replied drowsily as he returned his focus on Izaya again.

 

Said Flea was now waltzing back to join the two ‘surprise’ guests from earlier.

“My turn!” Manami cried a bit childishly as she then held out her arm gracefully, ready for the next dance.

 

Izaya just bluntly flipped her off.

 

“Did you not just see me getting tortured by my sisters? Go ahead and dance with them but don’t be surprised if they grope you or something.”

The bald guy, Kine, laughed in amusement.

 

“Oh no, that would be quite inappropriate.” He winked at Manami as Izaya raised an eyebrow at his comment.

“Is there something I should know, perhaps?” He inquired curiously as Manami suddenly got all red in the face.

“She finally got a boyfriend, God bless his soul.” Kine answered while crossing his shoulders in prayer. He got punched roughly as a result.

 

“What do you mean, God bless his soul?!” Manami spluttered angrily and Shizuo could totally see why the older man would say such a thing.

The Flea was chuckling at his friends to the side and Manami’s dangerous glare suddenly fell upon him.

 

“So _that’s_ why you like it in Russia so much now… Let me guess, he’s this really bulky guy with massive deltoids, right?”

 

Kine laughed again at Izaya’s comment and the red-headed girl didn’t know who to point her deadly glare at.

“You’re just jealous because your deltoids are non-existent!” She shot back at Izaya with a grin, to which Kadota almost choked on his drink. It appeared he was following the same conversation, not that it was hard to miss…

 

“I’ll have you know my deltoids are in shape just fine, thank you very much.” Izaya merely replied to Manami, teasing smirk plastered over his face again.

 

Before the other could shoot something back again, a sharp ‘ting’ resounded through the venue a couple of times, before a loud crack was heard in the summoned silence.

 

“Oops.” Shinra awkwardly followed up after he apparently tapped the glass a bit too roughly with his spoon, Celty ‘face-palming’ next to him as Shooter gave an amused snort.

 

It was nothing new for Shinra to be a bit clumsy, however and nobody really payed much attention to it as Simon quickly appeared to replace the groom’s glass with a new one.

 

The happy couple then proceeded to give a traditional ‘thank you for all the lovely gifts’ speech, although Shinra did all the talking, naturally. Though Shizuo was sure that if Celty would be doing the talking, it would be a lot more…gracious.

It was followed by an appreciative applause, the band as well as Izaya receiving another one as well for their performances. The Flea seemed happy enough with the attention but Shizuo could tell he was out of his element and he also knew why.

 

But for tonight, he would leave Izaya alone.

 

Tomorrow was a new day, with new opportunities that Shizuo wouldn’t hesitate to take anymore.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hope you guys loved the long chapter, tbh there were so many more things I could've put in there but damn, can't keep going forever, lol.
> 
> I don't live in Japan so I don't know for sure if 'Passion' was a real hit there (I know it was a single) but oh well, for any of you who played Kingdom Hearts, I'm sure you recognized it. Damn, now I feel old. 
> 
> More Shizuo & Izaya moments in the next chapter! *throws confetti*
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you guys enjoyed this one, kudos & comments are always appreciated! <3


	14. Swimming In The Smoke Of Bridges I Have Burned

 

 

 

 

“You better keep that mask more ‘whole’ than how your jacket turned out… and don’t get stabbed again either!”

“You’re the one that going to get _stabbed_ from now on…”

Kine watched Manami’s face flush red instantly at Izaya’s smart-ass remark before she lashed out at him again playfully, the raven ducking away from her purse to avoid getting hit in the face.

 

He sighed lazily as he slurped at his to-go coffee. Watching these two bicker always made Kine feel so…

Old.

 

“Okay you two, we got a plane to catch y’know…” He drawled out, the others turning their attention to him knowingly. Instantly, some sort of truce was formed between the two ‘youthlings’, already softening their gazes.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? We’d love to stay longer but…” Izaya held up his hands as he smirked at Manami, breaking through her words.

“I told you, I’m fine. I already have lots and lots of clients waiting to get their jobs fulfilled so it wouldn’t be fair of me to let them down now would it?”

Manami hummed at him suspiciously, sporting a little smirk of her own.

“Fair enough, but promise you’ll visit us soon?” Her smile turned soft as she pointed her best puppy eyes at Izaya that even made Kine melt a little inside.

 

“Yeah, yeah, stop looking at me like that, jeez.”

Manami did a little jump of joy before she waltzed off to the flight gate.

 

“You go ahead, I’ll be right there.” Kine said to her as she nodded in response, continuing her step.

“Say _hi_ to Alex from me!” Izaya called after her in his typical sing-song voice, Manami sticking out her tongue at him in response. Kine honestly doubted if she would pass the greeting to her boyfriend...She would probably just complain about Izaya's teasing instead.

 

Kine shook his head at them fondly before Izaya finally turned his attention to him.

“Something up?”

 

Ah, the worry must be clear on his face, Kine realised.

 

“Have you thought about Shiki’s offer? Is that why you decided to stay?” He asked Izaya carefully, watching his eyes widen slightly before frowning a little.

“I wasn’t lying to Manami you know, I actually have work to do… but I suppose I’m considering his offer, even if it’s on such short notice…” Izaya answered somewhat thoughtfully.

“I know you’ll be careful about it, but I’m still going to say it…take your time to think about it. You don’t often get the opportunity to just _cut_ your bonds with the Awakusu-kai…you know that as well as I do.” Kine replied calmly, Izaya honouring him with a gentle smile before he sighed a bit tiredly.

Though the other wouldn’t completely agree, it was still thanks to Kine that Izaya ended up in the world that was previously his own.

Even if Izaya might’ve ended up in that same underground scenario without his involvement, Kine felt responsible for it anyway.

 

“Shiki likes you, you know. Respects you despite all the shit you’ve pulled but that doesn’t mean he’ll tolerate it any longer…” Kine added for good reason and Izaya scoffed lightly.

“I know…” He answered, face turning serious as he stared into the distance, where Manami was shifting her feet impatiently.

“Although I can’t make any promises.” A mischievous smirk and a wink later, Kine smirked back at the man he’d helped raise from mere ashes to his former powerful self again.

 

Or perhaps now, he was something much more than that…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

It happened somewhere in the late afternoon.

That inevitable _thing_ Izaya knew was coming but he wasn’t sure in what form it would arrive.

 

[Can we talk?]

 

Shizuo was never one to beat around the bush but it wasn’t that he didn’t try. Izaya just knew that the blond was quite bad at it.

As in really, _really_ bad.

So he probably just didn’t even bother to try.

 

Being straightforward wasn’t a bad tendency though, but Izaya didn’t really appreciate it on Shizuo all that much.

Not with the things still standing between them.

Things that were more delicate than he wanted them to be, things that did need a certain subtle way to address them.

 

But hey…it was just talking, which was one of Izaya’s fortes.

Or at least, he liked to think so...

 

Still, this didn’t sit well with him. His last encounter with Shizuo didn’t go all that amiable, none of them ever really did…

But he also knew that Shizuo didn’t know when to quit…the blond wasn’t going to let up, that much was clear, no matter how much Izaya would try to shake him off.

 

And well…he did tell Celty that they were ‘dealing’ with things…

 

‘Stop being such a fucking pussy!’ Manami would say something along those lines, Izaya thought, as he stared at his phone’s screen with annoyance.

 

It took him an hour and twenty minutes to type an answer and it wasn’t even decent.

 

[About what?]

 

As expected, he got a reply almost instantly.

 

[Don’t play games with me, Flea…]

 

Izaya smirked at the old nickname.

 

[Fine.]

 

It was only after he sent it that he realised he probably should’ve been a _bit_ more demanding in arrangements because he failed to see Shizuo’s next message until _after_ he took his shower.

 

[I’ll be over in an hour or so.]

 

‘Well, fuck.’

His mind rung, although it didn’t burst into overdrive as much as he expected it to.

He’s faced Shizuo so many times now…tested him in so many different situations….So what if he came here again? Was any other place a better idea?

 

‘This is fine, just fine.’ The familiar tantrum is his head began playing as if it were a song to sing along to.

 

He kept on wondering, however.

What exactly did he still have to fear?

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Meow!”

“Okay, I want this to go well, so behave al right?”

 

Big slit eyes glanced downwards to meet stern mocha ones.

 

“I’m serious.” Shizuo spoke again, gaining another drawled mewl in return.

The familiar ring of the doorbell sounded from behind the door and not even a second later he heard the Flea call out.

 

“It’s open.”

 

He threw one more stern look at the unintimidated orbs above him before entering the Izaya's apartment.

 

The first thing Shizuo noticed is how freaking big the place was.

He _knew_ that Izaya was loaded, Shinra had dropped that notion often enough but damn, this was a lot of space for just one person.

 

“Yo.” Said person spoke in casual greeting and Shizuo’s head whipped to the left left to locate the voice.

“I’m just finishing up here, if you’ll give me a moment.” Izaya spoke again without looking up from behind his screen.

 

The blond muttered a quick “Sure, no problem.” as he took the opportunity to look around a bit more, Dokusonmaru’s gaze roaming over the place in curiosity as well. He eyed that plant standing there on the dinner table a bit _too_ excitedly.

Shizuo didn’t even want to know how many times this place got cleaned because everything was just so shiny it made him feel ashamed of his own apartment…

He should’ve known Izaya was a neat freak…with that fancy tux at the wedding and all…

 

Right now, however, as Izaya got up from behind his desk and approached them, the blond noticed he was dressed in his typical ensemble, just a black shirt and dark grey jeans.

His eyes seemed slightly drowsy but that tinge of crimson was as apparent as ever as it hovered a couple of centimetres above Shizuo’s own.

 

“What is _that_?” Izaya asked distastefully, pointing to that spot above him.

 

Oh, right.

There was a cat on his head.

 

“Oh, this is Yuigadokusonmaru…he’s Kasuka’s, I’m taking care of him until tomorrow and I didn’t want to leave him by himself…”

Izaya had his hands on his hips as he listened to the explanation, eyebrows raised in expectation.

 

“I hope it’s not a problem…?” Shizuo finished with an apologetic grin, Dokusonmaru following him up with a timid mewl.

Izaya hummed in annoyance as his lips bended downwards, regarding the cat a little while longer as if trying to figure him out.

 

“Well, as long as he _behaves_...” The Flea ultimately drawled out.

“Anyway, sit wherever you like…you want some coffee or tea or something?” He continued, appearing oddly relaxed concerning the situation.

 

“Tea’s fine…” Shizuo merely replied, taking place in the luxurious couch in front of the flat screen television. Dokusonmaru finally hopped off his head, onto the sparkling floor as Shizuo cringed at the cat hairs that already let loose.

“Uh, could I use your bathroom for a second?” Shizuo asked politely, feeling the urge to refresh himself for a moment.

As the Flea gave directions while working on the tea, the blond gave Dokusonmaru one more stern look as a warning before going up the stairs.

 

After some cold water in his face, Shizuo stared at himself in the mirror for a while, remembering Celty’s words from when they parted ways after the wedding party.

 

_[Don’t give up, he’s just being stubborn.]_

 

It was really amazing how she knew what was going on in the blond’s mind all the time… like she knew how much he longed for some sort of reconciliation, a little bit of _peace_.

But well, Shizuo didn’t mind the encouragement.

He could really use it right now.

 

When he entered the ‘living room’ again, he was surprised at the sight of Dokusonmaru sitting obediently at Izaya’s feet, said person holding up a little platter that the cat’s large eyes were fixated at.

 

“Okay so, let’s make a deal, you and me.” Izaya suddenly began as the feline turned its head at the raven curiously.

“This tuna is yours, but only and I mean _only_ if you stay off of my furniture, don’t scratch, break or ruin _anything_ , alright?”

“Meow!” came the immediate, overenthusiastic answer.

“Smart kitty.” The Flea replied simply with a smirk as he put the tuna down for Dokusonmaru to devour.

 

If anything, the sight was hilariously cute.

Wait no, adorable.

Wait no, shit. Fuck. Izaya was not cute nor adorable. Nope, nope, nope, Dokusonmaru was! Yeah! That’s totally what he meant.

 

“So…” A steaming cup of tea was suddenly placed down on the coffee table as Izaya signalled the blond to sit down across from him, embracing a cup of his own with both his hands as he sipped it rather carefully.

 

“You wanted to talk. I’m listening.”

 

He followed up a matter of factly, eyeing the blond expectantly.

 

Shizuo swallowed a bit thickly, his nervousness clinging to him in the form of sweat stinging his skin.

But once again, he came here with a goal in mind.

And since Izaya didn’t take well to ‘odd’ friendly behaviour and near-apologies from him, Shizuo decided he would have to go straight for the gold this time.

It’s what he’s known to do anyway.

 

As he sat down and took a sip at the tea, which he sorely regretted afterwards due to the lack of sugar, Shizuo spoke the words he’d been preparing to say all day.

 

“I want to start over.”

It was expressed in pure, blunt honesty.

 

“Eh?”

Izaya’s response was less than graceful as his face contorted to confusion.

 

“I want to start over.”

Shizuo repeated the words just as reserved as before, no real emotion behind them, as if he were asking something as simple as a pass of soy sauce at the table.

 

“…” Izaya remained quiet for a moment as he placed down his teacup slowly, tracing it with his eyes.

 

“Shizuo…” He started calmly but the blond already knew that the following words were going to be laced in negativity again.

“Those who are like you and me, those who share such a _history_ like we do…they don’t just get to ‘start over’.”

 

Ah, there it was, the typical resistance.

Could Izaya ever _not_ be stubborn for once?

 

“Why not?” Shizuo dead-panned, drawing a scowl from Izaya, crimson regarding him tiredly.

 

“Did you already forget what I said to you at the party?”

 

Now it was Shizuo’s turn to scowl.

 

“You’re not supposed to do these _things_ , Shizuo… you’re supposed to loathe me, _scorn_ me for what I’ve done, not act like I’m some old school buddy you haven’t seen in years and want to ‘re-bond’ with…” Izaya continued defiantly, soaked in disbelief.

 

‘So that’s what it’s all about…’ The blond thought, eyes hardening as he was starting to get annoyed by the way Izaya was saying his name again. Like he was having a hard time saying it, like it was fragile like the porcelain cups on the table.

 

“Then why apologize to me in the first place? You’re not making any sense…” Shizuo bit back, brows creased in annoyance.

Izaya scoffed at him, that obnoxious smirk forming on his face that the blond wanted to punch off of it the moment it appeared.

He decided against that urge, thankfully.

 

“Are you serious? One apology in exchange for _all_ the thing I’ve done…and that’s _enough_ for you? _You’re_ the one who’s not making sense, Shizuo.” The Flea followed up with spite as he reached for his cup and pulled it towards his lips again.

 

“Stop that.” At that, Izaya froze in his actions as he pointed his eyes questioningly to Shizuo’s.

“Stop what?”

“Saying my name like that, it’s frustrating...”

“…”

The tea was put down again, confused crimson regarding him suspiciously.

 

“I thought you hated it when I called you Shizu-chan?”

 

“I do!” Shizuo responded almost instantly.

“But this is even worse! It’s just…so…so…”

‘Not you!’ His mind added but his mouth couldn’t say the words. He fell silent instead, eyes glancing sideways, not meeting the piercing red gaze pointed at him.

 

A long sigh befell Shizuo’s ears two seconds later and then the Flea was sipping his tea again.

 

“I never said I forgave you, you know.” The blond mumbled suddenly, retrieving Izaya’s attention as Shizuo felt his eyes peer into his form again.

And Shizuo hadn't forgiven Izaya, _couldn't_ after everything the other had done.

But that didn't mean their bond was doomed forever...

 

“I don’t expect you to…”

Izaya replied rather simply, but the undertone of regret was not missed by the other.

 

“Then give me this…” Shizuo pushed his gaze onto Izaya’s again, the red depths drinking him in as his shoulders slightly tensed up.

“Just a new start…Not just for our sake, Celty’s and Shinra’s too… It’s not like I’m asking that much of you, am I?” He tried again and Izaya pulled a face that depicted the opposite of Shizuo’s simplicity.

 

“I just don’t get it.” Izaya laughed in his face coldly.

“Why do you keep insisting? Why do you even care about where we stand? Because _I_ really _don’t_ , Shizuo.”

 

But said blond did not yield his defiant stare as those words bit at him. The slight wavering in the Izaya's eyes as well as the tightening of his hands around the teacup made it all too obvious to Shizuo.

Izaya was hiding something again.

Izaya was _lying_.

 

“Then why the hell did you save me from that bullet in that shifty club before I even knew you were back?” Shizuo threw back in Izaya’s face that twisted into clear surprise in the aftermath of his words.

The blond kept watching the other patiently as he witnessed the panic developing in the other’s eyes at trying to find some sort of excuse, some sort of explanation that didn’t translate into anything the blond would _want_ to hear.

 

No, Izaya would never let Shizuo win that easily. Not at things like this, even if he had just been grabbed by the wings.

 

And r as the raven finally opened his mouth to respond, a short alarm rang from his phone that drew both of their attention away.

 

“Ah, I have to change my bandage…” Izaya explained simply as he got up from the sofa before Shizuo could see the actual movement occurring.

 

What a convenient escape…

 

“Hey, hey, hey! BAD CAT, BAD!” Shizuo suddenly heard Izaya utter with frustration as he followed the Flea’s gaze to his computer.

On his keyboard was none other than Yuigadokusonmaru, rolling his worries away as he ‘entered’ wrong passwords consequentially.

 

Shizuo couldn’t help but outright laugh as Izaya chased the naughty cat off his desk, hairs flying everywhere. The crimson glare seething with annoyance didn’t even faze him.

This was just too good to be true, honestly.

 

Meanwhile, Dokusonmaru made his merry way to some other room again and Shizuo really hoped he would behave from now on, before the Flea pulled out a knife or something and he would have to explain the aftermath to his brother…

 

“Glad you’re having so much fun…” the Flea responded sarcastically as he grabbed a med kit and started to undo the bandage on his arm a bit roughly, obviously bothered.

Shizuo watched with interest as Izaya proceeded to delicately rub in the wound with ointment. It seemed to be healed almost completely.

 

He had to hold his laugh again at the clumsy re-bandaging that followed though.

 

“Holy shit, you’re horrible at that…” Shizuo chuckled before moving to the other side of the desk, not even hesitating once as he reached out for Izaya’s wrist in the midst of his struggle.

He ignored the short-lived bout of tension he felt course through Izaya’s muscles at the contact but he couldn’t help but notice how cold the skin was, despite the place being so warm…

 

“And how exactly are you so good at this, huh?” Izaya’s scowl was clear in his voice and Shizuo looked up at the Flea’s gaze for a moment before speaking his next words.

“I had plenty of practice patching myself up you know…” He spoke with a certain ‘hint’ in his voice.

Izaya smirked knowingly at him however and Shizuo applied the next wrap a bit more tightly than necessary, but it didn’t make Izaya drop his smirk through the flinch.

 

In truth, it was only after Celty discovered that he was using superglue as a way of stitching his wounds together that she insisted on teaching him the proper way of dealing with injuries…

 

But he wouldn’t tell Izaya that, of course.

 

“By the way, you were really rude you know…not letting me finish my words at the party...” The blond then shot at Izaya, whose lips curved down again in response.

“I might not forgive you all the things you’ve done…but that doesn’t mean that what _I_ did was right either…” Shizuo continued softly while applying the last fold. His eyes glanced up to claim Izaya’s own again, serious yet with a gentle touch.

 

“I _am_ sorry for the things I did that night, Izaya.”

 

The other didn’t reply anything, he merely sucked in Shizuo’s gaze with his own conflicted one, as if he was trying to read him. As if he was trying to find something _other_ than the brutal honesty he just witnessed.

 

Another surrendering sigh later, crimson disappeared between dark eyelashes again.

 

“I guess starting over can’t be _that_ hard…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Orihara Izaya…” The name rolled off of the man’s tongue as if he’s severing the taste of it for the first time.

“That rings a bell, actually…” He followed up as he put a hand on his cloth-covered chin, humming away in thought. He consequentially brought up his other hand that elicited a curt snap of the fingers, effectively summoning one of his ‘underlings’ to his side.

The latter presented some really retro looking tablet and although Hiroto couldn’t see the screen, he had an idea what it displayed as he observed Djinn’s reaction to it.

“That’s him.”

It was as quick and convinced as the nods that followed, though Hiroto wasn’t sure whom exactly Djinn was nodding at…

“100% positive.” The chirped follow up was laced with an enthusiasm that prickled up the brunet’s skin.

This man never ceased to creep him out...

 

“So then, Shijima-kun…” At the sound of his name, his attention returned sternly back to the other, trying to appear as relaxed as he wished he could be.

 

“How exactly did you allow this man to sabotage our plans, hm? Even after all the ‘help’ I provided you with?”

Hiroto swallowed painfully, unsure if he should share the information that he was one-upped by Orihara Izaya before, but then again that wasn’t even the most shameful point…

 

“He was supposed to be dead…”

 

Silence then, very stagnantly so.

 

“What do you mean he was _supposed_ to be dead?”

 

Fearful eyes shuddered slightly at the harshness of the words.

 

“Almost two years ago, he got into a fight and sustained very serious injuries…everyone proclaimed him dead on the spot, there’s no doubt about that…I just never expected him t-

“Yes well, seems like you expected _wrong_ , now didn’t you, Shijima-kun?” The masked man interrupted him mockingly but never stopped in his pacing wearily, slightly slouching as if tired.

 

Hiroto however, couldn’t be sure because there was no way of seeing the man’s face, no evidence of worn out eyes or sacked lips when all he could see were two irises that held the colour of a cloudless summer sky.

He couldn’t help but glance at the gun that hung at the man’s hip, lightly dangling with every step he took. It was as if the thing was staring at him...

 

“You know, you should be thanking him, Shijima-kun.” The other started again with an oddly gentle tone of voice.

“Not only did you _lose_ a shipment, you also failed at executing your mission, even though in the end, I’m glad you did you know…”

 

Shijima creased his eyebrows in confusion, he just knew something bad was coming again.

 

“What brilliant brain cell of yours came up with the idea of killing hundreds of people when I told you I wanted a ‘fancy diversion that included something going boom’?” Djinn seemed to ask this sincerely, however irrational that was.

 

“I can see I’ve been very vague but still…In all of my past transactions, never once has a life been lost without a good reason…I thought I was pretty clear on that level, apparently _not_ , hm?”

 

It was almost as if the man was philosophizing to himself and for a moment Hiroto felt as if he were forgotten but the man’s stern gaze turned on him again soon enough.

 

“Plus, blowing up that orphanage was just really, _incredibly_ rude…even if it was empty…And that school! It’s a downright insult to the importance of education! Utterly despicable.”

 

Hiroto couldn’t help but stare at the man in a mix of amazement and confusion.

 

“My apologies, it seems that I did… _underestimate_ Nakura’s loyalty to me, however contradicting he is being now…” Was the response he was able to force out.

 

In the end, it _was_ Nakura’s fault, that retched idiot. Blowing up the school and the orphanage hadn’t been part of the plan, but apparently that wasn’t the only thing Djinn was pissed off about.

 

This man actually didn’t want people to die, even though Hiroto caught that incentive from him…

 

What kind of criminal had a good heart anyway?

A soft spot maybe, but actual good intentions? Never.

 

Which is why he still, for the life of him, _couldn’t_ figure out why the hell Orihara Izaya had sabotaged his plans.

That man was by no means a good person, if anything, he was more evil than the man in front of him right now.

 

“Underestimated is a small way to express it, but _yes_ , I suppose you did…but don’t try to push everything onto him, Shijima-kun, you can’t fool me with _your_ degree of bitterness either.”

 

At that, Hiroto cringed. It was like this guy could see right through him, although he might just know everything there was to know about him already… else he wouldn’t have asked for his assistance from the start…

It was sad really, how much you could buy with just money… and he, himself was no different.

 

“In any case, get me everything and I mean _everything_ on Orihara Izaya you can find, that’ll be the first thing to make things up to me, Shijima-kun…”

 

The man spoke gingerly, pacing around again happily, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Hiroto just stared wide eyed and confused again, unsure of what to say.

 

He didn’t know what sort of follow up he’d expected but a second chance wasn’t one of them.

 

“What should I do about Nakura?” The brunet asked carefully after a moment of silence.

 

“Ah yes, I suppose he won’t stay silent forever…” Djinn answered thoughtfully, turning his attention to the little birdcage that stood on the antique table next to him, poking at it lightly with long gloved fingers.

 

“It’s best we take care of him soon…” The sudden cold words came as a surprise to Hiroto, whom must’ve exhibited it a bit too openly as the other’s hard gaze landed on him again.

The man’s next words were laced with pity and regret in such a way that he could almost hear something crack underneath his skin.

 

“After all, it’s highly unethical to keep a living being in a cage so tiny…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

Shizuo awoke long past midnight, rain still clattering down on the windows as the wind relentlessly diverged the flood onto the thick glass.

It wasn’t _that_ which caused him to open his eyes though. That would be due to the sound of something getting knocked over, falling on the floor, or whatever the source of the noise was.

Dokusonmaru didn’t care for it at all, apparently. He was still curled up on the sheets right next to his feet, sound asleep.

 

For Shizuo, however, getting into a dream-state had been hard enough since he sort of did expect Izaya to suddenly try to sneak up on him, press a knife to his neck and be all like ‘Surprise, Shizu-chan!’ before cutting his throat.

 

Luckily, no such thing happened but Shizuo still found it weird, the current situation.

 

They had only just somewhat reconciled and he was already sleeping in the same building as his past mortal enemy…

He felt like they were _rushing_ things but then again it wasn’t his fault that the weather had just turned diabolical so suddenly.

Izaya wanted to get him a cab, but Shizuo doubted he could find one that drove around in that kind of storm, he couldn’t afford a stupid cab anyway and like hell he’d take the Flea’s money like he was a charity case…

 

_“Fine, just stay then, I’ve got a spare room anyway.”_

Izaya had said it with an expression that oozed ‘I don’t give a fuck anymore.’

 

Shizuo just saw it at another opportunity, however.

If this night went by without any _complications_ , that would be a good step forward, now wouldn’t it be?

 

_“You better not snore though, I really need my night’s rest…”_

‘Who’s keeping up who now, Fleabag?’ Shizuo’s thoughts grumbled as he laid there sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling in annoyance.

More noises reached his ears and for a moment he thought that maybe it wasn’t Izaya accidentally knocking something over. What if someone was trying to break into the apartment or something…

The Flea probably had enough enemies…

 

Clad in nothing but his boxers, Shizuo rolled out of the bed a bit cautiously. He grabbed the white chamber-robe conveniently hanging by his door, putting it on as he stuck out his head into the hallway.

He tried pinpointing the noises, ears trained on the sounds like a dog.

 

It soon became rather obvious that they all originated from the door at the end of the hall and with creased brows, the blond carefully moved towards it as the Flea’s typical fragrance met his nose again.

Izaya’s door was creaked open ever so slightly, the sounds of blankets ruffling and soft hisses meeting made his ears perk up in curiosity, a certain idea of what was going on formed in his head.

 

As he sneakily peeked his head into Izaya’s room, his suspicion was confirmed.

 

The little light the moon provided wasn’t much to go by, but Shizuo’s eyes were sharp enough to make out the writhing shape on the bed, tossing and turning the blankets around without little regard to where they ended up…

 

Izaya was obviously having a nightmare and Shizuo had a few _theories_ of what it could be about…

 

For a moment, he was at a loss as he thought about the most tactful way to wake the Flea up.

Providing some vision might be a first good step, so he sneaked to the side of the bed. There, he found a little lamp that had, most likely, been mercilessly slapped unto the floor. It’s a good thing said floor was carpeted…

He soon got the lamp to work again, a warm glow now filling the room as it revealed Izaya’s lithe form, the dark red nightwear clinging to his skin.

 

“Oi, Flea…” Shizuo tried carefully as he regarded the pained faces Izaya was making with a frown. The other didn’t seem to hear him though…

 

“Izaya!” He tried a little louder to no avail as the other released a whimper so pathetic it cut right through Shizuo’s skin and bones.

 

“IZAYA!”

 

The near-scream, accompanied by a mere touch at the shoulder seemed to do the trick as crimson snapped open, pupils constricting instantly in response to the sudden intake of light.

 

All Shizuo could see, however, was how _terrified_ Izaya was.

 

In a flash, Izaya backed away from Shizuo as fast as he possibly could, clumsily letting himself drop on the floor before he crawled backwards, only to end up roughly hitting the wardrobe at the other side of the room, fear-struck eyes never once leaving his own frozen ones.

Yet Shizuo was stuck staring, seconds that felt like hours passing by before he opened his mouth to finally speak again.

 

“Izaya, calm down, it was just a dream…” Shizuo tried as gently as he could, concerning the way Izaya was looking at him like he was about the murder him or something, his erratic breath bordering on hyperventilation.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

 

‘Come on, Flea…’

 

Shizuo thought back to New year’s eve where this similar scenario had occurred, but at least now Izaya wasn’t at risk of _dying_ in front him, thankfully.

 

Slowly but surely, the awful expression on the Izaya’s face died down as he started to glance around him, as if finally waking up.

The deep exhale and the soft rubbing of eyes that followed were a sign things were somewhat stabile and Shizuo allowed himself to relax a bit as well.

 

“Shit….” Izaya cursed quietly as he calmed his breathing.

“I must’ve woken you up…sorry about that.”

 

Shizuo didn’t say anything in response as he simply regarded the tired crimson with a sad expression on his face.

The Flea really looked like a mess…and it made Shizuo want to do things that probably wouldn’t help his current state at all.

 

“Damn…I need a drink…” were the last words Izaya muttered as he slowly got up from the floor, seeming a bit dazed, still.

 

Shizuo wasn’t sure what to do as he watched the Flea half-stumble out of the door and into the hall.

He listened to the slight taps of the Izaya’s feet against the stairs, and remained still for a little while longer, letting it all sink in for a moment.

 

The look Izaya had given him when he woke up had _hurt_. There’s no denying that ache behind his sternum.

But Shizuo knew he had to deal with that.

He, himself, had to deal with the things he’d done too.

 

Because just like Izaya’s, Shizuo’s dreams weren’t always laced with butterflies and rainbows either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Izaya felt like an idiot as he stared tiredly into the restless city from the comfort of his office chair, warming his hands around hot porcelain.

 

Why did he let Shizuo stay again?

He’d told himself he could handle it, that it was nothing special. That maybe, when this was over, his body wouldn’t react so strongly to the blond anymore.

Alas, his mind apparently thought it to be the _perfect_ moment to make him relive the worst night of his life.

Downright brilliant.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t have the reflex to grab the knife underneath his pillow, because he might’ve just stabbed Shizuo in the eye or something…. that could’ve gotten really ugly. Although he would've deserved it for just coming into his room like that…how intrusive…

He thought back to the gentleness of Shizuo enwrapping his wrist again, to the fact that he somehow found out about Izaya saving him at that club, to the sincere apology the raven didn’t want to hear, didn’t deserve.

Not after all those bridges he had burned straight down to the ground.

 

As he sipped at his black tea and cuddled the little furry being on his lap, Izaya heard soft steps come up behind him.

Looks like both Dokusonmaru as well as Shizuo had a hard time giving him some space…

 

“Please tell me that’s not coffee.” The blond questioned disapprovingly as he went up to the glass wall, looking out into the city before glancing at Izaya to his left.

He chuckled a bit drowsily in response, leaning back into his chair.

“It’s just tea…not that it’s going to help me sleep again, you know…”

Shizuo’s expression shifted into a frown again as he stared at Izaya, whom didn’t appreciate the act of pity though he wouldn’t show it on his face.

 

“It’s been a while since I had one, you know.”

Izaya wasn’t talking about the tea and he was sure Shizuo realised that.

 

Only Dokusonmaru’s gentle purring was heard for a moment and Izaya caught a little smile on the blond’s lips as he gazed at the feline laying there so comfortably on Izaya's lap.

In the blink of an eye, the smile was gone again.

 

“I’ve had them too…until I saw you again…” Shizuo confessed quietly, eyes unmoving.

 

“You mean when you saw me running across the street like a lunatic?” Izaya couldn’t resist smirking up at the other, whom looked _very_ unamused at the jester.

“Don’t joke about it…You really _were_ nuts for doing that…”

Izaya could only muster a small laugh at that, hand continuing to stroke the fur beneath. Shizuo’s glaring eyes were drawn to the motion.

 

“Maybe a little bit.” Izaya admitted jokingly again before taking another swallow of his tea.

 

“So, what?” He paused as he tasted the malty bitterness on his tongue again.

“You had nightmares about me actually murdering you or something?” Izaya followed up smoothly, as if they were talking about the morning news. Shizuo’s frown only deepened before he tore his eyes away from Izaya’s lap, casting them downwards.

 

“It’s the other way around…” The blond near-whispered and Izaya felt his heart constrict a bit too harshly at the next beat.

“I always end up killing _you_ …I don’t even hesitate…”

 

The despair laced in with the words cut through Izaya like a knife, stabbing him in a place that was still far too frail for things like _this_.

So he pushed the feeling away and masked it with false amusement again.

 

“I don’t really see how that’s a nightmare, more like the opposite no?” He mused back, Shizuo’s hard gaze meeting him again.

 

“Stop it Izaya.” He bit out, the harshness surprising the raven somewhat.

“Stop what?” He feigned innocently again but it did not shake the blond’s unyielding stare.

“I _know_ you don’t find it amusing, so just fucking quit it.”

“…”

 

Izaya really hated how Shizuo saw right through him like this.

What else was the blond onto?

 

“Fine!” He exclaimed as he held up his hands. “I already told you before, however.”

“ _I’m_ the one that wanted you to kill me Shizuo, I literally _told_ you to.” He threw at the blond before dropping his hands back down unceremoniously as he started spinning around lazily in his chair.

Dokusonmaru didn’t seem to give much of a care as long as he got his pets.

 

“So don’t beat yourself up over it.” Izaya added as he kept spinning lazily, meeting Shizuo’s annoyed gaze at the completion of every roundabout, lips turned up in his typical smirk that was surely instigating the other.

 

“How can you say that like it’s so _simple_? If not for Vorona, I might’ve actually killed you there, don’t you realise that?” Shizuo tried again, clearly bothered by the Izaya’s unperturbed attitude.

Izaya then stopped his chair abruptly, nearly sending the inattentive cat off of his lap. He shot Shizuo the most serious expression he could muster up with his current level of vitality.

 

“You _still_ don’t get it, do you?” he started as Shizuo seemed as confused as ever.

 

“Shizuo, I _wanted_ you to kill me. I really, _really_ did.” Izaya spoke unsmiling in honesty, not an ounce of sarcasm to be found anymore.

 

“ _Anything_ to prove you were a monster.”

The words made him feel physically sick as they left his scowling lips.

 

For a moment, Shizuo was speechless, expression morphing from disbelief to miscomprehension and then to a mixture of hurt and anger as he diverged his eyes from Izaya’s again.

 

“I see…” He muttered quietly before mocha met crimson again in defiance.

“Is that what you still want? For me to kill you, just so you can show the world what a monster I really am.”

 

‘You’re not the monster you think you are, Shizu-chan…’ Izaya's mind responded, but his mouth formed different words.

 

“I don’t…but I wouldn’t put up a fight if you wanted to.”

 

Shizuo almost stumbled back a bit at the genuine words, face contorted in actual shock as his mouth hang slightly open.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means _exactly_ what I just said, Shizuo.” Izaya responded in annoyance.

 

He didn’t understand what was so difficult about it, give up once, give up twice, might as well surrender yourself forever…

 

“You’re sick in the head, Flea.” The blond bit back with a disapproving scowl.

And then Izaya was exhibiting his typical laugh again.

 

“Why? Do you _want_ to kill me?” He asked genuinely again and Shizuo’s eyes went wide as saucers before responding rather heatedly.

“NO! I mean, of course not, why would I save you if I wanted to kill you…. stupid flea…” He ended in a mumble, shoving his hands in his robes pockets, absolutely failing at trying to appear nonchalant.

 

Izaya just kept smirking at him, absolutely enjoying the blond’s display of discomposure.

 

“Well then I don’t see what the problem is…” He followed up mischievously, Shizuo glaring at him again in response, although it quickly died down.

 

For a moment, they both stared outside in silence, peacefully regarding the illuminated city they once treated rather disrespectfully.

 

“Since you mentioned her, how is your little _girlfriend_ actually?” Izaya questioned next after he sipped his tea again, though it’s nearly gone cold.

Shizuo turned his head to him, a dumbfounded look on his face.

“My little _girlfriend_?” The blond repeated the words in honest confusion to which Izaya raised an eyebrow.

“The Russian assassin? Vorona?” He put out bluntly in response but it didn’t solve Shizuo’s confused expression.

“What? Vorona’s just a friend, she doesn’t even like me in…in… _that_ way, you bastard.” He replied with creased eyebrows, clearly annoyed at Izaya’s speculation, the raven’s current chuckling only feeding it.

 

“You are so clueless, it’s absurd.”

 

Oh well, from the lack of blood streaming to the blond’s face, Izaya could conclude that Shizuo’s feelings weren’t exactly mutual regarding the blond assassin.

Not that he cared, of course.

 

The disagreeing array of feelings and voices in his mind didn’t get their say as Shizuo interrupted them again.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The blond shot back but Izaya couldn’t stop his amused smirk so he merely waved him off.

“Nothing, nothing!” And then he just started spinning again, ignoring Shizuo’s narrowed gaze boring into his form.

The latter sighed tiredly in response to the childish display.

 

“We should get some more sleep…” He mumbled tiredly but Izaya had a hard time agreeing.

“Eh, I’ll nap some extra hours tomorrow, I have plenty of work to do anyway.” He responded without an ounce of self-concern as he stopped his twist to end up in front of his computer again.

 

“Flea…that’s not healthy you know.” The blond came up next to him, staring disapprovingly at the lit up screen.

 

“I’m touched by your concern but I’ll be perfectly fine, I assure you.” Izaya merely purred at the other, who didn’t look convinced at all.

 

“Go get some rest, Shizuo. You can even shower in the morning if you want to, as a reward for waking me up.” Izaya winked at the frowning blond before stifling a yawn.

He proceeded to type away on his keyboard without a single care in the world, Shizuo scowling down some more at his slender fingers in the meantime.

 

“Hmkay, thanks.” He grumbled after a long while as he finally gave up, probably realising that Izaya was to stubborn to convince.

A smart decision.

 

 

Izaya missed the glance Shizuo threw back over his shoulder as he ascended the stairs. Of course, Dokusonmaru just had to start whining on his lap due to the lack of petting…

 

‘What an evening…’ The thought ran through his mind in a blur, but not in a negative way.

 

Meeting with Shizuo wasn’t so bad, Izaya realised as he stopped his typing for a moment, eyes un-focusing from the words on the screen.

Dokusonmaru released another drawled mewl from below and Izaya smirked down at the large glistening eyes that regarded him in appreciation as he received another rub behind the ears.

 

“I guess you’re not so intolerable either…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I focused a lot on Shizuo&Izaya in this one, hope it was somewhat satisfying *wink*. There's still more to come of course!  
> The things revolving around Djinn might still be confusing now, but it'll become more clear later.
> 
> Thanks for all the love! :)


	15. It's All Passing Me By, Tangled Up In My Own Lie.

 

 

Shizuo woke to that typical _smell_ filling his senses again.

 

Drowsy eyes fleeted around the familiar room, now painted with streaks of bright yellow against the coolness of matte white, the simple image oddly relaxing.

After an overly impolite yawn accompanied with a rub of the eyes, the blond lazily got up from the bed, whipping some wild blond strands out of his eyes.

 

He then noticed that Dokusonmaru wasn’t anywhere to be seen again, the troublesome feline probably stalking the Flea for more tuna or something…

Not giving it much more thought, he checked the time and groaned lightly. Kasuka would be back home soon…

 

First things first, though. That shower the Flea promised him sounded really good right now.

 

Finding the bathroom wasn’t very hard since it was right across his guest room, Izaya even put the door wide open for him, though that was probably so that the blond didn’t go and open all of the other ones in his quest.

 _Of course_ it had to be so damn fancy and luxurious again, even though everything was decorated relatively simple, the whole place was like that, really.

 

As he curiously fumbled around with all the different modes in the walk-in shower, Shizuo wondered how the hell Izaya still carry that _scent_ around him after getting so doused like this…

In slight intrusiveness, he went over all the shampoos and shower gels too, trying to find the one that was responsible for that ‘aroma’ the Flea seemed to inhabit. He detected one that was a bit familiar, but still, it wasn’t the one he was looking for.

After a while, Shizuo realised his shower was taking a bit too long for normal standards, so he quickly cleansed himself before turning off the shower head.

As soon as he did, muffled voices reached his ears, muted by the closed door and the damp air.

His interest peaking once more, the blond quickly wrapped a towel around him and sneaked to the door, creaking it open just a little bit.

 

“Next time I’ll expect you to come to headquarters again, I trust to hear from you soon?”

 

The blond recognized the voice, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it…

 

“Of course, Shiki-san.”

 

‘Shiki…’ The name that Izaya just uttered lit up in his mind.

 

‘Awakusu-kai…’ He then realised, eyes widening a bit in remembrance. Shinra’s and Celty’s little stories regarding this Shiki person came back to him and even though they weren’t always laced in much negativity, Shizuo still felt a wave of wariness wash over him.

He knew Izaya had been involved with the Yakuza for a very long time now, but still…

 

Deciding that it wasn’t any of his business, he tried to push his worries away while drying himself off some more and rearranged everything the way it was when he entered the place.

 

Just a little while later, Shizuo was on his way down the stairs, already catching a glimpse of a familiar fur ball rolling away on the couch where one of the most dangerous men in Tokyo sat only moments earlier.

The Flea’s guests seemed to have dissipated, thankfully, so Shizuo could be at ease. Surprisingly, Izaya wasn’t seated behind his computer at the moment but the blond did spy some movement in the kitchen.

 

“Morning.” He called out as he neared it, ruffling his still damp hair a bit with the white towel that hung around his shoulders.

“Ah, Shizuo, I was starting to think you had vaporized in the shower or…” Izaya started in his sing-song voice as he turned around with a cup of coffee in hand.

“…something…” the Flea finished as he stared at Shizuo, something akin to shock flicking through his eyes before they returned to their typical aloofness. The blond _almost_ missed it, just like he almost missed the slight reddening of Izaya’s face.

 

He followed the crimson gaze down to his unbuttoned white shirt and wondered what was so interesting about it…

Well, it was pretty _warm_ in here.

 

“If you want breakfast, grab whatever you like, I fed Dokusonmaru some more fish, by the way.” The other quickly drawled out, eyes tearing away from that spot on the blond’s chest that brought them back to the memory of their first meeting.

“Ah, thanks. I’m having lunch with Kasuka soon though, so I’ll pass.” He explained as he followed Izaya walking past him with curious eyes. The latter hummed at him in affirmation before he plopped down behind his computer again, steaming coffee placed neatly next to the keyboard.

 

Dokusonmaru soon came up to his feet, mewling in an effort to be acknowledged.

“Hey there, buddy.” Shizuo replied with a warm smile as he picked up the small feline and proceeded to give him some belly rubs.

 

“I thought you to be more of a dog person, hm…” Izaya suddenly butted in, watching them through narrowed eyes.

“What makes you think that?” The blond merely replied with a huff.

 “Oh, no reason.”

And then the Flea’s lips curled up into that teasing smirk again, full well knowing that it made Shizuo’s blood flow a bit faster through his arteries in the rise of adrenaline’s frustration.

 

When the blond checked the time again, however, he figured it wasn't worth the struggle.

 

“I better go soon.” He mumbled as he grabbed his remaining things and buttoned up his shirt, aware of the Flea’s gaze subtly gliding along with his form throughout the room.

“Thanks for the tea and…the talk…it was…” The blond started as Izaya regarded him with raised eyebrows.

 

‘Good? Fun? Enlightening?’

 

The Flea seemed to realise his inner struggle as he chuckled amusingly.

“It’s been a pleasure, Shizuo-kun.” He followed up teasingly.

 

“So, does this mean I can finally walk Ikebukuro’s streets without getting vending machines thrown at me out of nowhere?” Izaya asked with that tinge of song laced into the question.

Shizuo couldn’t help but broaden his mischievous smile in response.

“Depends…am I going to be challenged by random gangs again?” He joked back to which Izaya laughed somewhat heartily.

 

It’s fleeting moments like these that made the hard ones worth it, Shizuo thought to himself as Dokusonmaru purred sleepily in his arms and Izaya just smiled in the aftermath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winter’s sun was far from the elemental force it would become again in summer, but it still burned on Izaya’s skin.

Moonlight was always so much more…gentle.

 

But in the sunlight’s bliss, the city was a different place and Izaya enjoyed observing the diurnal creatures just as much as he did the others.

Finding familiar faces, still doing whatever he predicted they would be or even better, having strayed from their path into something completely unexpected, was a true entertainment on itself. It nearly made him want to skip down the streets again.

He didn’t even need to do that to be recognized himself, however. Orihara Izaya was no secret, most people knew who he was and what he looked like.

Which is why some people pulled a face as if they’d seen a ghost. Which is also why it was really hard _not_ to walk around all day with his amused smirk on his face.

 

The best thing till now had to be the crowds’ response when he’d bumped into Shizuo and Tom yesterday, however.

Nothing but a mere greeting and a little chat about work had been exchanged in uncharacteristic calmness.

Even Tom had not known what face to make at him or Shizuo for that matter.

 

It had been glorious.

 

For now, things were still calm however.

None of the jobs Shiki had given him until now were that challenging nor demanding, but it contained some ‘sensitive’ material so it was better to discuss it face to face every now and then.

It had been a real surprise to Izaya that a little week ago, the man had come to his place personally to discuss a job, but with the fancy car and the two bodyguards lined up before the building it might’ve just been Shiki’s way of stating a claim again, of saying ‘Mess with Orihara Izaya, mess with the Awakusu-kai.’

Izaya on the other hand, was just glad that Shiki hadn’t made any comments on the running shower or on the impish feline that was waltzing around as if it owned the place.

 

“Izaya-san?”

 

He came to a halt at the meek voice uttering his name somewhere from his left. There, he was met with a smile so much more sincere than how he remembered it to be.

“It’s been a while.” The wearer of said smile followed up as grey eyes pierced into his own.

 

“Ah, I do believe we didn’t have a chance to chat at the party, right Saki?” He returned the smile as turned towards her, effectively creating a disturbance in the flow of the crowd, people shifting around them like water diverging around a rock in the middle of the river.

“Well everybody kept whisking you away, understandably of course.” She uttered rather cheerfully as she regarded the stream of people.

 

Izaya chuckled in response as he lined up next to her and signalled for her to continue her step as he followed along.

“Apparently I caught people off guard with my little act.”

“Not just that, Mikado-kun told me quite a lot of other things too.” She winked mischievously at him, to which he merely ts’ed.

“It was a very beautiful piece though, I never imagined you could play the piano…” She continued with a thoughtful expression.

“And I never imagined you cutting loose from me like you did, but here we both are.” He shrugged back jokingly. She narrowed her eyes playfully, bending forwards to get a good glimpse at his face as her shopping bags dangled in her grasp.

“What is it?” He asked in innocent curiosity as she seemed to analyse his face.

“Hmmm.” She started as she put on her typical smile again. “I guess it’s true, you really _have_ changed.”

 

At that, Izaya couldn’t completely suppress a look of surprise, slightly faltering in his step at which Saki gave a short laugh in her hand.

“That’s a pretty big claim to make…” Izaya responded a bit weakly, unsure of what to say. Saki merely waved it away. “I meant it as a good thing you know! Even Masaomi said you seemed different even though it was hard to admit for him, he doesn’t believe in the rumours though…” She continued as Izaya slightly frowned at all the speculating.

 

It was funny how Saki was commenting on _his_ ‘change’ while she herself was far from the same girl he once manipulated. It was clear in the way her eyes reflected the emotions she displayed on her face, mask finally torn off and thrown away.

 

“Still on the roll with Kida-kun hmmm.” He hummed at her with a little smile. “I bet he must be glad to _not_ work for me anymore huh?” He followed up to which Saki just smiled kindly again.

“He’s still adjusting to this…’normal’ life, working simple jobs… But you know,” She started as she looked up to the sky, eyes wide. “We’re really…happy.” She finished as she stopped in her tracks and pointed her gaze at the big fountain centred in the square they just passed. Golden sunrays cut through the soaring water droplets to cast a makeshift rainbow.

 

“I’m happy.”

 

The smile didn’t leave her face as she said it again, aimed at the little children that were trying to grasp the colourful spectrum with their hands to no avail.

 

Izaya merely observed the human before him with interest. To obtain happiness was a desirable thing, it was that which all of humankind strived after, some never quite grasping its true meaning.

The fleeting thought that read ‘Am I happy?’ only got a moment of attention before the raven returned to wondering about the person before him.

 

Had Saki achieved her happiness purely out of love for another person? Or perhaps because of said love being returned?

 

Love was a powerful thing, after all.

 

Shinra had proved that point to him often enough…

 

 

As if said person could read his thoughts, his phone suddenly rang from his pocket.

“Looks like they’re whisking you away again.” Saki winked as Izaya regarded the doctor’s number displayed on his screen.

Not sure what to expect, he answered the call with creased eyebrows.

 

 **“Yo, Orihara-kun!”** Came the enthusiastic voice. Shinra was always too loud on the phone to his liking.

“Shinra, shouldn’t you still be on a honeymoon or something?” He answered in slight annoyance. The other merely laughed back at him. **“That’s for later! Celty and I already travelled for half a year while you were away, you know.”** The other chirped back at him.

**“Anyway. Tonight. Our place. 8 a ’clock! Don’t be late or I’m sending Shooter to fetch you!”**

And with that, the line went dead and Izaya was left to stare dumbfounded at his phone while Saki giggled next to him.

 

“Well, looks like you’ve got your hands full again.” She started as Izaya sighed at her a bit tiredly. 

“Looks like it.” He replied as he stretched out his arms and neck for a moment, a sudden tiredness overwhelming him.

For a moment, all was peaceful, nothing but the wisps of children’s laughter and the gentle splatter of water claiming the airwaves.

 

“Saki, don’t you ever resent me for what I’ve made you do?” Izaya suddenly blurted out the thing he was most curious after. The addressed girl turned her head to him with another smile as if she was expecting the question all along.

“All the things I’ve done, I did out of my own free will…I don’t see why I should resent you…”

He frowned at the words, but her face did not change in response.

“And because of those things…I think I got stronger too, you know…” She added a bit more quietly but just as gentle.

 

“You probably know what that feels like too, don’t you?”

The follow up was unexpected by Izaya, but it didn’t faze him that much because he knew the words to be true.

 

Izaya knew exactly what she meant.

 

The little smirk he returned to her was enough of an answer.

 

“I better get back home…It was nice seeing you again, Izaya-san.” She bowed slightly in goodbye as she smiled sweetly again, Izaya nodding at her as he wished her well on her way.

 

“I hope you’ll find happiness as well…”

The soft words were uttered by the girl’s lips after they’d parted, but Izaya caught them in the cold breeze of the wind.

When he looked back, Saki was just going her merry way forward, unperturbed by the stare gazing into her back.

He smirked anyway, amused by her words and actions.

The girl was really something…

 

As he roamed the streets back home in a casual pace, the sun slowly started to disappear behind an array of dark clouds shifting over the sky. Izaya could smell the water in the air before it started to fall.

He was glad that he checked the weather forecast before going out as he put up his umbrella, the rain suddenly coming down onto the city like a flood of blood to the heart.

 

As he passed a narrow alley on his right, he snatched a glimpse of shining yellow.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he stepped backwards a bit and peered into the little passage.

 

Two golden flickers gazed back at him from the inside of a knocked-over garbage can that provided some shelter against the merciless weather.

“Oh, it’s you…” He mumbled to the tiny creature that looked rather displeased with his presence again. This time, however, the black cat thought twice about hissing at him.

“Don’t tell me that orphanage was actually where you lived?” Izaya mumbled as he crouched down in front of the bin, the cat responding with a glance at its paws, as if sad.

 

He sat there for a while, just staring at the mess of a creature in front of him. At his sigh, the cat looked up to him again.

“Well, I suppose it’s my fault that it got blown to bits too, so…” The golden orbs narrowed suspiciously at him as he put out a hand for the cat to smell.

It gave in after a while of glaring at the hand, however, sniffing it in malcontent before Izaya made the move to scratch the cat behind its ears.

 

It appears not only Dokusonmaru enjoyed that kind of thing.

‘How typical…’ Izaya thought with a smirk as the cat gave a little purr at the display of affection, crawling a bit closer to him and underneath the umbrella as the rain continued to splatter down around them.

“Let’s get out of this dog’s weather, shall we?”

And with those words, the raven scooped up the cat under his wing and went on his merry way again.

 

 

When he entered his apartment a little while later, his phone immediately beeped with urgency and he couldn’t help but groan at the sound.

That better not be Shinra again…

 

“Meow…” The new occupant drawled as Izaya put it down on the floor. For a moment, it seemed in awe at the large space laid out in front of it but soon enough, the curious creature started its journey of discovery with careful steps.

It didn’t even seem that interested in food yet when Izaya put the platter of fish down, it was more interested in the softness of the couch, apparently.

 

“We’ll set some ground rules later…” He mumbled at the cat with a small smile, making a mental note to buy some much-needed accessories later.

‘Now let’s see what the hassle is about…’ He thought as he flicked open his phone to check the source of the earlier buzzing.

 

Crimson widened as they fell upon the sender’s name.

In the blink of an eye, he was already behind his computer again, logging into a very familiar chat room.

 

 

**Orihara Izaya, Reborn!**

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** That was pretty fast, it’s almost like you’re a dog or something.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Wait, does that make me your master?

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** You have one chance to tell me what you need me here for before I’m out, Shinichi.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Well, something interesting happened…

 

 **Orihara Izaya:**?

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** It’s Nakura.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** He’s dead.

 

Izaya’s fingers tensed up as he took in the words, reading them again and again and again until he was sure he wasn’t imagining them.

Dead.

Nakura was dead.

Unless…

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** I’m not lying. The police are keeping it quite for now, they’re thinking about writing it off as suicide.

 

‘Writing it off…’ The words repeated in his head as his eyes narrowed. If Nakura hadn’t killed himself then…

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** He got murdered in his cell?

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Something like that, probably.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** Probably?

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** I can only know, see and hear as much as others can, Orihara-san.

 

For a moment, Izaya let everything sink in.

Part of him was disappointed in it all, since Nakura had never spilled who else was behind his undertaking. He had that one lead they would receive sooner or later on who the real perpetrator was…

But it appears said person got to him first…

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** Why would they wait that long to strike? Did he make a mistake?

 

‘Did he spill something, after all?’ was his underlying thought.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Besides failing his actual mission, he’s been as loyal as a dog.

 

 **Orihara Izaya:** …

 

Izaya couldn’t disagree with those words, Nakura had been exactly that, a dog begging for a bone, sitting at his own feet, acting all pitiful because of the miserable life Izaya had laid upon him.

But even underneath the raven’s own wicked claws, Nakura had never been subdued to the face of death.

 

To be struck down with the fruit still rotting in his hands…

 

Something was sinking down behind Izaya’s skin again as he thought about the merciless man behind the strings.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** I’m still looking into certain things, that might shine some light onto it all, though they also might not...nevertheless, watch your back, Izaya.

 

It was almost as if the other could read his mind at times and Izaya didn’t even blink at the atypical use of his first name.

 

It was in fair warning, after all.

 

  

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Later? You guys doing a hot-pot or something again?”

Curious as well as suspicious, the words were muttered through cigarette-holding lips.

 

Celty merely nodded in excitement at him.

 

[Something like that, yes!]

 

“Something like that?” Shizuo mumbled back at her as he scratched his head.

“Shinra isn’t planning anything ridiculous regarding tomorrow right?” He followed up with an annoyed expression to which the Dullahan chuckled in amusement.

[Well, you know Shinra, it wouldn’t surprise me…]

The blond sighed dramatically to that, but didn’t continue the subject any further.

 

Celty loved these moments, where the three of them would just relax together on the bridge and stare across it into the blue sky slashed with pinks and purples.

Well, Shooter didn’t seem to care for it that much as he kept begging Shizuo for attention.

“Izaya thought I was a dog person…” The blond mumbled absent-mindedly as he gave the greedy horse another rub on his back. “But he wouldn’t say why…”

 

He then looked to Celty in slight surprise, who was shaking with laughter.

“Oi, what’s so funny…” He asked, seriously confused.

Celty had a hard time forming a response as she kept cackling away in her non-existent head.

 

[Izaya _hates_ dogs.]

 

The face Shizuo made at her message created another ripple of laughter through her, the blond cursing slightly under his breath as he turned away to the open sky again, taking another long drag at his cigarette.

 

Celty had to admit she was surprised at what Shizuo had told him about his and Izaya’s actual _decent_ conversation. Izaya joking around was something that just couldn’t be helped, of course.

Then there was the thing about cats and…coffee? It was a bit of a blur already, because Celty remembered just being really happy for the both of them.

 

 

For finally having found a bit of _peace_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He should’ve gone back to Russia.

 

 

That’s what Izaya thought when Shinra served him another glass of whiskey, even though he didn’t even ask for it.

He was 99,9% sure the conspicuous doctor was trying to get him drunk and he didn’t even know why…

 

The sudden ring of a phone was already too loud for his ears and it wasn’t even that late yet…

“Oh, It’s Kazane-chan! I have to take this guys!” The devil himself exclaimed as he ran into the hall somewhere.

“Kazane?” Shizuo questioned, a bit confused. Kadota shared the expression as he hummed thoughtfully, probably trying to match the name with a face as well.

 

“It’s his sister.” Izaya blurted out.

 

“Sister?!” They both exclaimed in surprise, eyes stuck to him now.

“Well, half-sister actually.” Izaya merely chuckled as he took another swing at his glass, even though his body was telling him not too.

 

Shinra even got him his favourite brand…suspicious.

 

Shizuo was now looking at him through narrowed blond lashes, probably wondering how exactly Izaya knew all the things he did.

The frustrated growl that followed at his own amused smirk was just too easy to lure out, honestly.

 

“Sorry, sorry! I’m back!”  Shinra appeared again, typical cheerfulness infecting Izaya’s mind instantly.

“You never told us you had a sister…” Shizuo mumbled at the doctor before he slurped at his Mojito again. The percentage of sugar syrup added to it probably out of normal proportions.

“Ah, we rarely meet… she couldn’t come to the wedding since she was on the other side of the globe, still is actually.” The doctor mumbled apologetically.

“Such is the life of a journalist.” Izaya sighed to which Shinra nodded in agreement, Kadota and Shizuo still somewhat staring in curiosity at the new information.

 

“Anyway! How are you guys enjoying your drinks? Can you feel Celty’s love poured into it?” Shinra floundered again.

“Hmm, spretty good.” Shizuo responded as he sucked on his straw again, Kadota just agreed with a smile and a nod.

Izaya, however, only saw imminent death in what Shizuo and Kadota were drinking so he was really happy with his whiskey.

Whiskey that contained a bit too much alcohol to his liver’s liking though.

 

“So Shinra, why are we here again?” Kadota suddenly asked casually as he leaned forward from his seat. “Not that I mind! Else Erika would’ve dragged me along to her cosplay show…”

“Yeah, Shinra, _do_ enlighten us.” Izaya added meekly himself.

 

It’s not like Izaya was stupid, however. He already knew what was about to come.

 

“My, for Shizuo’s birthday of course!”

 

Shizuo however, didn’t look very amused. “But that’s not until tomorrow…” He mumbled in annoyance.

“Still, I knew this had something to do with that…”

“You do realise they are going to keep you here until it’s 12 a’ clock right?” Izaya quipped at the blond, smirking as the words sunk into Shizuo’s widening eyes. Kadota merely groaned.

 

“Come on, guys! It’ll be like the good old days!”

At those words, all unamused stares were pointed at the over-cheery underground doctor.

 

“The _good_ old days, really now?” Izaya answered in disbelief, Kadota laughing in response.

“Have you been nipping at this in the kitchen or something?” Izaya added as he pointed to his glass before smirking up at the still smiling grey.

“Don’t be silly, Orihara-kun, only you can drink that awful stuff!” Shinra chirped back teasingly, Izaya just kept on smirking however.

 

“So, what’s the plan then? And what the hell is Celty doing back there?”

Izaya had to wonder along with Shizuo’s words, the blanket of shadows covering the kitchen behind them not completely erasing the sounds of pots clattering in its haze.

 

“That’s a surprise!”

 

Of course it fucking had to be.

 

 “So until Celty is done…” The doctor mumbled as he pulled out a bunch of boxes from the closet underneath the television.

 

“Let’s play some games!”

 

The groans that followed blended in with Izaya’s own.

 

Contrary to his first response however, he  _did_ enjoy the simple board games and as he watched the others’ amused grins he was sure he wasn’t the only one.

Not only did this take him back to the simple old days in Raijin high, it also reminded him of the times he used to play with his sisters.

When Kururi was young, she never took well to thunderstorms. Not even Mairu’s company could ease her mind completely at those moments, so Izaya would pull out some silly board game and they would play until the flashes of light stopped flickering through the curtains.

It was one of the few nice things he had done as their big brother…

 

“By the way, Shinra…” Kadota suddenly started as he pulled another piece from the pile of blocks that was threatening to fall over.

“Where did you and Celty actually get married? Since we only came to the party and all.”

 

“Ah, it was so romantic!” The addressed started, eyes already sparkling like stars that were about to burst.

‘Oh dear, here we go…’ Izaya rolled his eyes as the thought passed in his mind.

 

“It was in Kamakura, in the bamboo forest! The sun was shining so brightly the whole time, critters were encircling us left and right as they all basked in Celty’s beauty!” Shinra fawned in exaggeration.

 

By now, Shizuo’s expression was matching the Izaya's own dull one and Kadota regretted ever opening his mouth.

 

“It’s almost as if the universe was blessing us! I still can’ believe it!” The doctor continued in his high. "It was like a fairytale come true!"

“But wait, then who performed the ceremony?” Kadota asked again, confused.

 

“Ah, Simon did it.” The other replied simply, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

 

There was a short moment of complete silence in which Izaya almost could almost hear crickets chirping in the background.

 

“Did you just say that Simon, _Russia sushi Simon_ , did your wedding ceremony?" Shizuo decided to open his mouth.

 

“Jup!” Shinra merely replied with a grin that shone ever so brightly as he re-focused on the game.

 

Izaya really had a hard time holding back his laughter at Shizuo’s and Kadota’s expression.

The amount of intoxication already roaming through his system wasn’t exactly helping either.

 

“Shinra, you’re trolling us, aren’t you?” Kadota asked with a lopsided grin but Shinra just kept up his creepy smile as he finally found a block to remove from the slanting tower, making sure it didn’t fall over just yet.

 

“Nope! Please don’t confuse me for Orihara-kun now…”

 

Izaya merely tsk’d at that as he regarded Shizuo’s thinking face with keen eyes.

 

Really, the blond’s handsome features stood out so much more when he was concentrated on something.

 

…

 

‘Okay, no more whiskey for tonight.’

 

“It’s actually thanks to Orihara-kun that we knew about Simon being a former priest in Russia, you know!”

At Shinra’s words, surprised gazes were once again aimed at the informant. Izaya merely took another swing at his glass as he raised his eyebrows mischievously in response.

Damnit, he betrayed his inner thoughts already…

 

[I couldn’t believe it either!]

 

Celty suddenly appeared, powdery white spots covering her black silhouette every here and there.

 

[I can sort of imagine it though, him parading around in a church, wishing peace onto everyone with…sushi…]

 

“The church of sushi? Sounds commendable.” Izaya couldn’t help joking along with her, drawing a chuckle from both Shinra and Kadota.

 

 

Meanwhile, Shizuo was trying his best to concentrate on the game.

Every time his fingers reached out for a piece though, the raven would be hot on his tail.

 

“Oh, not that one.”

 

The fingers froze, Shizuo’s eyes shifting to his crimson ones for a moment as he took in Izaya’s smirking blaze. He moved for another piece instead.

 

“Not that one either.”

 

That gained him a groan, laced in frustration.

 

“I can’t concentrate like this, you louse!” He grumbled out at Izaya whose amused only peaked higher.

“I know.” He replied cheerfully and he watched something explode behind the whiskey shot eyes he was staring into.

To his surprise, the blond merely grumbled out some more curses as he started his quest for yet another block to pick.

 

In the end, it was Shinra who ruined the jenga-tower by accidentally hitting the table as he hastily jumped up at the sound of a ‘ping’ ringing from the kitchen.

Celty merely shook her head in disappointment again before she followed her lover.

 

“Looks like Shinra spared you the humiliation of losing, _Shizu-chan_.”

The word didn’t register in Izaya’s own mind until he watched the blond’s eyes widen at the familiar taunt.

 

Shizuo merely grinned cheekily at him, however, before outing the challenging words.

“I think you mean he spared you _your_ humiliation, Flea.”

 

Izaya scoffed at the other as Kadota regarded them with a gentle smile, no doubt enjoying the classic display of childishness.

 

“Ah, it’s perfect!”

They all turned their heads to the kitchen at the sudden cry of ecstasy.

 

“Still needs to cool down though…” came the quite mumble just a second later.

 

“Oi, what you guys doing in there?” Shizuo grumbled out at the secrecy of the couple.

‘Really Shizu-chan, surely you’re not that dense.’ Izaya thought in amusement as he cursed his mind just a second later. Alcohol was a true poison to his self-control…

 

“Oh, nothing special!” Shinra suddenly popped out from the kitchen again, mischievous smile plastered on his face.

Shizuo merely shot him a look saying ‘You’re not fooling anyone’ that was blatantly ignored by the other.

As Shinra pulled out another boardgame, Izaya downed the last of his glass down his throat, thinking about the cat that was now alone in his apartment and hopefully not wrecking the place. 

 

That reminded him of his conversation with Tsukumoya, however...

Dropping the bomb about Nakura was going to ruin everyone’s mood so Izaya decided to hold his tongue on that subject. 

 

There would be other, _better_ times to discuss it anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Happy birthday!” Shinra yelled way too loudly as the date flipped to the 28th of January.

Slightly less enthusiastic, the blond blew out the lonely candle on his piece of cake as the others congratulated him.

 

In his head, he wished for the rest of the year to be peaceful, however unlikely that was…

 

“If I had confetti, I would be throwing it all over the table.” Izaya muttered drowsily as he stared at the richly frosted cake in displeasure.

 

“You guys really didn’t have to do this…” Shizuo mumbled with a gentle smile before he placed another piece of cake in his mouth, sugary sweetness combined with the fresh taste of strawberries a true heaven to his tongue.

 

[Don’t be silly, It’s good practice for me anyway!] Celty replied as she watched the others eat the ‘birthday cake’. Shizuo wondered where she even found strawberries at this time of the year but he was too busy stuffing his mouth with them to ask.

 

“I can taste the love you put in it, although that should only belong to me!” Shinra half-moaned in between bites as Celty gave him a playful slap to his face at his bad manners.

[Empty your mouth before you speak, damnit!]

 

“It’s really good though, Celty.” Kadota replied earnestly, receiving a thankful nod from the Dullahan.

 

All eyes then creeped to Izaya whom just stared at his piece in silence.

As Izaya noticed all the gazes aimed on him, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

 

“What? You guys know I don’t like sweet stuff.” He said matter-of-factly, Celty giggling a bit at him.

“Who the hell eats cake past midnight anyway…” the Flea muttered defiantly some more.

 

“How can you know you don’t like it if you don’t even try?” Kadota tried to which Izaya responded with a glance of consideration.

“Dota-chin makes a fair point….” Izaya mumbled as he eyed his frosted piece of cake with narrowed eyes.

 

“Come on Flea, you’re not scared of a bit of sugar are you?” Shizuo added to the motivation. Crimson eyes hooded by creased brows were aimed at him in response.

“You really have no idea about the lethal dangers of sugar, do you, Shizuo?” the Flea dared smirk at him again, before finally pricking a piece onto his fork.

 

“Well, he already smokes so…” Kadota butted in thoughtfully.

“Actually, now that you guys mention it, Shizuo really does have some unhealthy habits…” Shinra started as well.

Shizuo just shrugged, however, more focused on the way Izaya’s face was contorting in response to the cake entering his mouth. His scowl didn’t quite disappear, but that glimmer in his eyes couldn’t fool the blond.

 

“So?” Shinra asked while leaning in a bit too enthusiastically towards Izaya, Celty pushing him back into his seat.

 

Izaya hummed a bit teasingly before closing his eyes as if to sever the taste.

 

“I can tell that Celty made it.” He started simply, mischievous crimson appearing again as they winked at the addressed Dullahan. “Which means its good.”

[You don’t have to lie, if you don’t like it than that’s fine!] Celty replied disbelievingly.

 

“I’m serious, I’ll even finish the entire piece to prove my point!” was the Flea’s answer, hands up in the air in surrender.

Shizuo couldn’t help but smile at the friendly banter.

 

“It’ll be like a birthday gift to Shizu-chan too!” Izaya continued as he put another piece of cake in his mouth, enclosed lips pulled up into a smirk.

 

“Tch, whatever Flea.” The blond responded as if he didn’t care at all.

 

In truth, Shizuo’s heart swelled up slightly every time Izaya addressed him with the familiar taunt, since it was a sign he was getting somewhat comfortable around him…

The teasing glances and smirks were no exception.

Izaya had been pushing him all night, despite knowing that in the past, his bubble would’ve burst a long time ago already.

It was typical, the way he danced on the spanned rope, always treading on the dangerous line between safe teasing and lethal taunting, curious for the response despite the possible consequences.

Shizuo wouldn’t cross that line, however. Because he didn’t want to and he was damn well sure that the Flea wouldn’t want that again either.

 

It was just a simple game, one Izaya had always played with him.

From the moment they had met until that night where the raven himself had crossed the line and burned his wings.

 

But now they could finally start leaving that behind them.

 

 

After everyone finished their cake and were done fawning over Celty’s delicious baking skills, Shinra decided they should watch a movie.

The options he presented, however, were quite…limited.

“Shinra, it’s Shizuo’s birthday, not freaking Halloween.” Izaya told him a matter of factly as he glanced at the gore-themed horrors in Shinra’s collection.

 

“Oh, well the birthday boy can pick of course!”

 

For fucks sake…

 

“Just pick whatever, I don’t care…” came Shizuo’s simple reply as he plopped down in the couch, Celty sitting down to his left in excitement.

 

Oh right, she shared Shinra’s fascination about horror movies, especially if they involved aliens…

 

Throughout said movie, Shizuo had to cringe at many moments and decided that horror wasn't really his thing.

Shinra and Celty however, were acting all shocked at every exciting scene, as if they hadn’t seen the movie before, but Shizuo seriously doubted that.

Kadota was just really amused at the others’ outburst and gasps but he was probably used to a lot of things, due to Erika’s and Walker’s influence…

 

To his right, however, the Flea was starting to daze off slightly, probably not even following much of the movie anymore.

Shizuo watched the reflections from the screen drift by in those tired eyes, the crimson dissipating tiredly between the flutter of black lashes every now and then.

 

All that whiskey was probably taking its toll on the Flea, being the lightweight that he was.

 

Barely a minute later, the blond tensed up as he something suddenly bumped lightly into his right shoulder.

As he saw the mop of black hair lined up against him, he allowed himself to relax.

 

It appeared Izaya had lost the battle against sleep, choosing Shizuo’s shoulder as a rather uncomfortable pillow.

 

At Shinra’s next cry of fear at a very predictable jumpscare, Izaya jostled awake again, but didn’t quite move from his spot.

 

“Hmm, why can’t Shizu-chan be softer?” He mumbled in complaint.

Shizuo stared down at the mop of black hair in annoyance.

“Oi, don’t go complaining you louse…”

 

To his surprise, the other actually stopped doing so.

Instead, the Flea preferred fussing around, changing his position against Shizuo over and over and _over_ again, adding to the blond’s growing frustration.

 

“Just fucking lay down already!”

He grumbled out as he grabbed the surprised Flea by his shoulders and nearly shoved his head down on his lap.

 

Thankfully, his grumble was matched with an overly gross scene that contained way too much blood to Shizuo’s liking but it kept his friends’ attention occupied as Izaya curled up beside him like a cat, his head gently resting on the blond’s upper leg.

With the raven no longer rustling nor complaining, Shizuo decided this was much better, despite the slightly awkward situation of his past-arch enemy’s warmth sinking through his clothes and into his skin.

Shizuo blamed the tingling feeling that arose from said patch of skin on his own alcoholic beverage still running through his blood. His senses were probably just heightened because of that.

Yeah.

Probably.

 

The movie was almost nearing its end, one action scene following after the other but Shizuo couldn’t care less.

He was too focused on the small wisps of breath, the slight touch of Izaya’s hand just above his knee, that innocent look on his face as he lightly slept.

 

The fact that Izaya was comfortable like this, that he felt safe enough to fall asleep in _this_ kind of proximity… Shizuo didn’t know how to feel about it all.

He really didn’t.

 

But he couldn’t resist reaching out for those strands of black hair his gaze was locked onto, his long fingers gently caressing them underneath.

It happened absentmindedly at first, like it was an impulse too strong to hold back.

 

Then he was surprised at just how soft it was and he had a hard time stopping his fingertips from feeding on said silkiness.

The other didn’t seem mind the attention as the Izaya merely continued to sleep on, face still relaxed in complete tranquillity.

 

It was yet another moment that reminded Shizuo of just how delicate Izaya really was.

Of how _human_ he was.

 

He smiled lightly, mocha turning as soft as the strands of hair between his fingers.

 

And just like that, Shizuo’s birthday wish came in the form of a dormant raven.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Shinra really does have a (half)sister, I wanted to elaborate why she didn't show up at the wedding. Journalists are usually busy bees, after all.
> 
> Also cats, you can never exclude the cats, lol.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, the kudos (I'm getting really spoiled, I see) and the comments! Bless you all.


	16. You Can Crush Me Like A Rose Petal

 

 

 

Crimson eyes blinked drowsily. Once, twice and then a third time before Izaya realised this was not his apartment, this was not his bed and this _certainly_ wasn’t his pillow.

He immediately jolted upwards and stared wide-eyed at said ‘pillow’ as he realised he had just been sleeping on his past arch-enemy, whom was currently still swimming in slumber land.

 

Sleeping upright like that the whole night could not have been comfortable… then again, this was _Shizuo_ he was regarding, he could imagine the blond getting comfortable anywhere, much like a dog would…

 

Izaya himself though, wasn’t that easy on such matters.

Which is why him falling asleep on the blond’s lap like that was a true mystery.

 

Blood heated up his face again at the memory of the blond ‘laying’ him down on said lap and the feeling of long fingers gently rummaging his hair…

Or had that been a dream?

 

“Oh, good morning Orihara-kun!”

Slightly startled, Izaya turned to Shinra’s very amused smile as he was putting plates on the dining table.

“Had a _good_ night’s sleep?”

 

Oh fuck no.

 

“It was absolutely horrible.” Izaya lied through gritted teeth as he arched his back, stretching his painfully stiff muscles awake.

“You got some coffee for me?” He quickly followed up, not allowing Shinra to start sputtering more nonsense though those mischievous lips pointed at him. It was his own fault for thinking the doctor would not see through his bold lie anyway.

“Sure!” And then the latter was off to the kitchen in his typical cheerful step as Izaya plumped down at the dining table, eyeing it in displeasure.

 

He decided that an apple was the most nutritious option presented for him, between all the other overly sweetened things.

 

A low groan to his left brought his attention back to the creature on the couch.

Looks like Shizuo finally decided to return to the not-so-simplistic realm that was reality.

 

Izaya’s crisp apple-bites weren’t enough to wake Kadota, however, as he merely kept sleeping on, mouth wide open in apparent snoring, his beanie pulled down over half of his face.

 

Shizuo got up from the couch as he ruffled his bleached hair much like a dog would, making it appear even wilder than it was beforehand…

“M’rning Flea.” He grumbled out at Izaya whom grimaced slightly at being compared to an insect again. The blond just proceeded to casually take a seat across from him, already eyeing the sweet biscuits Shinra put out.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” He chirped back, the blond’s eyes narrowing at him in a slight glare, no doubt a reflection to Izaya’s own conspicuous smirk.

 

Before the blond could retort anything though, Shinra’s arm fell between them, placing a steaming cup of coffee on the table that immediately filled up Izaya’s nose with its aroma.

 

“There you go! You need something too, Shizuo-kun?” The doctor asked the other with a wink.

“Milk, probably.” Izaya cut in, smirking into the words as he pressed the rim of his cup to his mouth, teasing eyes never leaving the burning mocha ones before him.

 

After all, pushing Shizuo’s buttons had always been an addiction he couldn’t quite seem to control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ah right! Should still have some from that cake yesterday so…” Shinra mumbled as he moved to the kitchen again, completely oblivious to the tension suddenly rising in the air between his two friends.

“You know, Shizu-chan, you’re getting pretty old for consuming baby food, don’t you think?” Izaya pricked at the blond some more, whose grin was forming to the amplitude of his narrowed gaze.

“I don’t know, aren’t _you_ getting a bit old for your childish remarks?” Shizuo shot back as he bit down on his biscuit rather harshly.

 

Izaya just chuckled at him in amusement.

“Come on now, Shizu-chan, you know I’m forever 21.”

 

Despite that being an obvious lie, Shizuo couldn’t help but observe that Izaya really didn’t seem to have aged that much at all when it came to appearances. The Flea probably owned some fancy, overpriced face cream or something…

“Yeah well, you and your stupid face can go and eat my…” He grumbled incomprehensibly in annoyance at both the Flea and his own thoughts as he wrestled to get another biscuit out of its package.

 

“I’m sorry, my stupid what?” Izaya merely asked curiously, that _fucking_ annoying smirk pointed at him again.

 

“I think he said ass!” Shinra’s replied as if it was the most obvious thing to answer as he placed down a full glass of milk before Shizuo’s dumbstruck eyes.

“No I fucking didn’t!” Shizuo retorted back defiantly ‘Shinra, you _motherfucker_.’

 

He watched as Izaya’s eyes widened a bit in surprise before they narrowed in pure mischievousness again.

“Oh well, I bet you still can’t _catch_ this ‘stupid’ ass, Shizu-chan.”

 

The blond’s lips slacked in slight confusion as Izaya’s words processed in his mind.

 

Was that…was the Flea _challenging_ him?

 

“You better be careful what you wish for Flea…” He grumbled out in intimidation but he couldn’t suppress the growing excitement brimming to life in his veins.

“Oh, I don’t know…” Izaya started all innocently as he sipped down the last of his coffee, dragging out the time as he did so before placing down the empty cup with a long sigh that resounded satisfaction.

“I feel like going for a little run.”

 

Before Shizuo knew it, Izaya jumped up onto the table and into his face and poked a finger to his chest in quick succession.

“You’re it, Shizu-chan!” He yelled childishly before he jumped off again and sprinted into the hall, disappearing out of sight.

 

It took Shizuo a couple of seconds to process the recent development before he quickly downed the glass of milk in front of him.

Shinra merely stood still and stared, seemingly perplexed as Shizuo curtly got up from his seat and neatly applied his bowtie again. He mumbled out a quick thanks to the doctor as he did so.

 

 “Give Celty my thanks again too will you?” Were the blond's last words before he strutted towards the front door at an alarming pace.

 

“Did I miss something?” Kadota then tiredly mumbled from the couch, as he regarded the scene.

Shizuo was already out the door when Shinra merely shrugged at the other however.

 

Only a second later, the calling of Izaya’s name was heard and felt shaking throughout the entire building.

 

“Old habits really die hard, I suppose.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This, Izaya thought to himself.

 

This is what it meant to feel alive.

 

The way Shizuo chased him through the sun-blinded streets, the littered alleys, the un-threaded rooftops in nothing but pure, pure nostalgia.

 

The simple dog-cat chase that turned many heads in terrifying remembrance.

 

The doubling of his heartbeat in anticipation of being grasped by those strong hands, even though the blond wasn’t even close enough for that to be possible.

 

He loved _every_ single bit of it.

 

‘Looks like all that time spent missing me really took its toll eh, Shizu-chan?’ He thought as he smirked back over his shoulder at the blond, whom was running furiously like a madman whilst screaming out the raven’s name in nothing but playful scorn.

 

Shizuo wasn’t even throwing things at him, to his surprise. It made him wonder if Shizuo was actually afraid of accidentally hurting him or maybe just re-instituting unpleasant memories.

Izaya didn’t know but he also hardly cared.

 

This was seriously the most fun he’d had in a while now.

 

The fact that the blond actually had a hard time keeping up with him made it all even more interesting, but it wasn’t that unexpected.

Even with his past injuries and his slightly disagreeing spine included, Izaya was still very much catlike in his ways of moving from one place to the other. He was sure he was pushing it this time though, with every landing he made, the forces moving through his muscle and bone felt that much more apparent but it wasn’t enough to deter him from his goal.

 

He was going to _win_ this.

 

Determination soaring like a bird on its peak height, Izaya abused his knowledge of the surrounding environment to his advantage.

His quick movements were sure to aggravate the blond even more then he already was and Shizuo would be absolutely frustrated once he realised Izaya was out of his field of vision.

 

When he landed on both feet in the middle of his destination, he stayed crouched in the shadows for a little while, listening, _feeling_ for any sign that confirmed Shizuo was still pursuing him.

When nothing came, Izaya allowed himself to smirk in victory as he got up from against the wall, entering the illuminated alley he whisked himself into.

‘Looks like I win, Shizu-chan…’

 

“Oi, what you doing in here, scrub?”

An unexpected voice growled out behind Izaya. Unperturbed, he merely turned around to see two rather large men looking at him as if he were a trespassing rat.

“Wait a second…aren’t you...Orihara Izaya?” The one with the cigarette still hanging from his mouth blabbered out in slight astonishment.

“Why yes! Have we met before perhaps?” Izaya chirped back at him, signature smirk in place.

“See, told you he was back.” The other man said to the other, though not in amusement. Something started prickling Izaya’s skin at the stern demeanour that seemed to darken even more as the two men regarded him with creased brows.

 

“We haven’t. But our boss has…” The man finally answered in a gruff voice, flicking his cigarette on the floor as he straightened himself up from the wall he was leaning against.

 

Ah, that never was a good thing, Izaya thought to himself as he subtly paced back a few steps.

 

“Well, well, well. Looks like we caught a little insect in our midst.” Another voice joined in, this one appearing behind the his back but Izaya had caught the shadow hovering over him just a second beforehand.

 

In situations like these, it was never a good idea to do rash movements.

 

As his lips remained curved up in smooth combat, Izaya pretended to still be in charge of the current predicament, voice unwavering.

“Your boss you say… and who might that be exactly?”

 

It’s not like Izaya actually needed to know that, but the amount of people that bore a grudge against him was rather…hard to calculate.

 

The man only smirked back at him rather maliciously before opening his mouth in an amused threat.

“How about if you come quietly, I’ll let you find out for yourself hm?”

 

Now that sounded like a _very_ bad plan in Izaya’s opinion.

 

“My, my, this turned serious rather quickly…” He started with a careless sigh. “I’m afraid I’m not _that_ curious, however.” He shrugged at the others as if he weren’t caught in a pinch at all.

 

“Well, _I’m_ afraid you don’t have much of a choice.”

 

At those threatening words, Izaya saw the shadow of the man behind him move just slightly and he decided to take his chance at a quick escape.

He successfully ducked out of the way of the broad man’s grip, whom was obviously caught off guard by the accurate prediction.

Before he could make a run for it, however, the guy that had actually stood the furthest away appeared to be fastest of the three and managed to grab him by the hood.

 

Izaya helplessly felt his entire body being dragged backwards before it was harshly slammed against the non-budging wall, a heavy jab of pain shooting through his back and skull at the impact.

He only registered the strong hand clamped around his neck after his head stopped swimming in stars.

 

“Nice try, but I’m afraid you’re no game for me, little blood-eyes.”

‘Blood-eyes, that's a new one.’ Izaya thought in irritation as a knife was pressed firmly against his jugular vein, already stinging as it cut through the outer layer of his skin.

 

And he was getting _really_ tired of being strangled too.

He ignored the urge to try and pry the man’s hand away with his own, holding them up in surrender instead.

 

Before he could pull open his mouth to form another smart-ass retort, however, a familiar voice bellowed through the narrow alley, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

 

“WHAT THE _FUCK_ DO YOU BASTARDS THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

 

Never before in his life did Izaya welcome the rage behind those words as much as he did now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fucking Flea, Fucking Flea, _Fucking Flea._

 

How the hell was he still so damn fast? Why were they even doing this?

Shizuo asked himself several questions like that despite his own feelings contradicting them.

In truth, this was one of the things he’d missed most.

 

Just running after Izaya, chasing him until the sun went down and his legs finally cramped up from exhaustion.

 

They were only just getting started now, however, and the Flea was already losing him fast.

 

A couple of times, he had to resist the urge to pick up a by-standing trashcan and hurl it at the Flea. Of all things, he really didn’t want to accidentally _hurt_ the other again, besides, Izaya had yet to fling a knife at him either.

 

A bit too focused on his endearing thoughts, Shizuo failed to respond quickly enough to Izaya’s next turn.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone out of sight and the blond was stuck cursing in the middle of an open square, caught up in the mass of people.

 

Looks like Izaya hadn’t lost his touch…

 

His determination didn’t falter, however.  As he ignored the staring faces that were undoubtedly expecting him to start pulling out traffic signs in his rage again, Shizuo merely focused on that one thing he could always rely on when it came to Izaya.

His sense of smell.

 

It took him one minute to pick it up and three minutes to track it to some sort of secluded alley that they’d already passed beforehand.

But it took Shizuo only one second to burst into a fit of pure, untainted anger when he laid eyes on Izaya, roughly pressed up against a wall with the shine of a knife pressing against his pale throat.

 

“WHAT THE _FUCK_ DO YOU BASTARDS THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

 

Four pairs of eyes turned towards him in shock.

But Shizuo only saw red.

 

“None of your damn business, blondie so you best keep m-

The foolish man never got to finish his words, the unexpected punch to his face sending him flying backwards like a rocket. He smacked right into one of his buddies, whom yelped in surprise before they both crashed to the ground and remained there, tangled up in a heap.

The man pressing the knife to Izaya’s neck had faltered in his posture at the scene, lowering his guard just the littlest bit as Shizuo’s lethal glare settled on him, promise of pain clear in the burning mocha.

The guy hardly stood a chance against the sudden square kick in the face, making him flip backwards before he fell unceremoniously on his ass next to his ‘friends’.

 

Crimson eyes stared at him in clean surprise, but Shizuo thought he also spied a bit of awe in there.

“Phew.” Izaya started in relief. “Good timing, Shizu-chan.” He continued as he finally let his hands fall down.

The blond merely frowned at the other, catching a glimpse of red trickling down the side of Izaya’s neck.

“You’re bleeding…” He said in concern as he absent-mindedly reached out for the wound. He froze in his action as Izaya shied away from his touch, however, enwrapping his own hand around the broken skin.

“Ah, I’m fine…it’s just a little flesh wound...” The Flea spoke in a daze as he regarded the blood on his fingertips in distaste.

 

Shizuo’s frown only increased at the image.

Why did Izaya always have to act so tough. If he accidentally got his arm cut off, Shizuo swore Izaya would just say the same thing.

 

“Just let me see.” He tried again, that stubborn side of him taking over.

Izaya sighed at him in response, before he tipped his neck sideways, giving the blond a clean view.

 

“Well, doesn’t look deep…but maybe we should go back to Shinra anyway…” He mumbled a bit worriedly as crimson regarded him with a smirk again.

“I’ve spent way too much time there already, besides, I still have work to do today, you know.”

The Flea replied in typical stubbornness as he pushed himself smoothly off of the wall, making his move to get out of the alleyway. In his second step, however, he nearly fell over in imbalance as a pale hand clutched the ink-black hair in a slight hiss.

 

Luckily, Shizuo caught him by the shoulder just in time, Izaya's weight like a feather against the strength in his arm.

“Oi, what the hell did they do to you?” He grumbled as Izaya straightened himself again, inhaling deeply to push the dizziness away. A mocking smirk appeared on his face just a moment after.

“What, you think I was just conveniently positioned against the wall or something?” He chuckled at Shizuo, whom wasn’t amused by the words at all. Another wave of fury bloomed inside of him as the image of Izaya roughly hitting the wall flashed before his eyes.

Once again, deadly mocha was aimed somewhere to their right, at the heap of groaning limbs huddled on the floor. He didn’t see Izaya’s eyes widen at his intentions.

 

Before Shizuo could move towards the conspicuous men, however, a hand circled itself around his lower arm, the touch seeping right through the fabric of his shirt and into his skin.

“Shizuo, I’m fine.” Izaya started, voice serious.

The blond turned towards him with a slight groan, his own stubbornness rising within him. It quickly retreated into the back of his mind at Izaya’s slight frown, however.

 

Shizuo didn’t know why, but he didn’t question the way his heart fluttered in his chest as crimson softened at him again, teasing smile back in its designated place.

“Let’s not ruin your birthday by doing the thing you hate most, right?”

 

Well, Shizuo really _did_ hate violence…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

“ _Never_ touch my keyboard.”

 

Slit eyes regarded him, completely unintimidated.

 

“You know what, just never touch my desk in general.”

 

Izaya continued his monologue to the oblivious cat, which sat in front of the glass wall, staring out into the city from above. It appeared to like its current position, no doubt enjoying the view below.

It also appeared to _not_ pay any attention at all.

 

Izaya turned his chair sideways for a moment after a flurry of typing, regarding the black ball of fur with a scowl.

“You’re just a little shit, aren’t you.” He suddenly stated and the golden globes turned to him instantly, a certain glare behind them.

The raven just chuckled at the feline, whom nearly pouted at him, as if offended.

 

…

'Maybe I should sleep with the door closed tonight' Izaya thought for a moment.

That cat probably had nasty claws after all.

 

The familiar tune of his doorbell then captured the cat’s attention, eyes flicking around the room as if to track the noise.

Izaya looked at the time and frowned. It was still early in the afternoon and he still hadn’t fully recovered from his little escapade in the city.

He figured he shouldn’t just ignore someone at his door, however.

Even though he didn’t remember letting someone into the building in the first place…

 

Needless to say, he was rather surprised to see a head of blue hair waiting patiently in the hall.

“Why, if it isn’t Izumii’s little brother.” He greeted the already glaring eyes peering into his own.

Izaya ignored the way those same eyes shortly flicked down to his bruising neck, turning slightly confused for just a second.

 

“Orihara.” The blue shark then started curtly. “We need to talk.”

Izaya smirked at the sternness, it was cute how the other was already trying to measure up to him, even though the raven wasn’t even trying to be intimidating at all.

He signalled the teen inside, and as soon as the door closed behind them, the boy’s demeanour seemed to change. The stern crease between his eyes was still there, but it was laced with something that told Izaya bad news was to come.

 

“Mairu probably wouldn’t want me to tell you.” Aoba started, doubt apparent in his voice. “But I figured if I should tell anyone it should be you.”

Izaya just leaned back against his desk smoothly, mouth pressed into a firm line as he listened.

 

“I caught _this_ on her the other day.”

 

Crimson eyes immediately focused on the small item Aoba pulled from his jacket, brows creasing as he tried to recognize it to no avail.

But as he eyed the tiny, black, flower-shaped pill, something told him that wasn’t just a piece of candy.

 

“Did she…”

“No.” Aoba responded immediately and crimson flicked upwards from the other’s hand to meet his gaze.

“She doesn’t even seem to know where it came from.”

 

Izaya released a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding, successfully catching the other off guard at the uncharacteristic act of concern. He aimed a rather suspicious glare at the other, however.

“And how exactly do you know what this is, hm?”

“Someone like me knows enough about drugs to distinct them from lollipops, Orihara” Aoba bit back, obviously a bit offended.

 

Izaya just smirked at the other, amused by the other’s defiance again. He’d heard that the boy had taken something akin to an informant’s role upon himself while the Izaya had been away, although not very actively.

Perhaps he had some potential…

 

“But as for its name… I have no idea…” The other added after a while in distaste, bothered by his own shortcoming. Izaya’s condescending smirk probably wasn’t helping either.

“Well, if it’s any solace, I can’t tell from the first look at it either…”

Aoba just kept on scowling, however, as Izaya snatched the thing from the other’s hand and eyed it with great interest.

‘Maybe I should alert Akabayashi about this…’

 

The sound of a throat being cleared turned the raven’s attention back to the shark.

 

“Look, I’m sure you know this but I don’t like you.” The blue-haired teen started rather bluntly. Izaya merely raised an eyebrow at him.

“But I do like Mairu and Kururi, I…really care about them.”

 

The way the boy cheeks got red all of a sudden made Izaya want to roll his eyes.

 

“So I just want you to know I’m looking out for them too.”

 

Izaya couldn’t help but slightly smile at the boy’s seriousness.

How the hell his sisters managed to get this guy to like them this much…he could never guess…

 

“I guess I can appreciate that…” Izaya smirked at the other again, albeit a bit more gently.

“As long as you don’t involve them with your little gang activities, that is.”

 

Aoba just frowned again as he played his ‘big brother card’, probably annoyed at the fact that Izaya knew that the Blue squares were still active behind the covers.

 

Then the shark’s eyes wandered somewhere to his left, an expression of slight surprise coating his face.

 

“Uh, there’s a cat on your desk.” He mumbled absentmindedly, as if confused.

 

Izaya didn’t turn his head towards said rule-breaking feline however, even though he couldn’t completely suppress the twitch on his forehead. He refused to lose his composure in front of this little shark, after all.

 

“Oh yes, I’m quite aware.” He merely responded as if it was all according to plan, feeling the cat’s eyes stare into his side, no doubt trying to elicit some sort of response.

 

“Now, if that was all, Kurunoma-kun, I’m afraid I’m still _very_ busy so…” Izaya started again casually, making it a mental note in his head to have a serious conversation with Mairu one of these days…

“And I guess I’ll be looking into _this_ as well.” Izaya finished as he eyed the drug again, Aoba following his gaze before he gave a curt nod.

 

With all the jobs lining up and now this thing entering the pile of work, Izaya sure had his hands full.

 

Maybe he should get a new secretary or something…

 

After Aoba left, Izaya finally turned to the misbehaving ball of fur on his desk. It just sat there, staring at him with smirking eyes in a playful challenge.

 

It reminded him a bit too much of himself…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo knew it hadn’t actually been his fault but still…. he couldn’t shake the guilt that had settled in his stomach from what happened earlier today.

Which was why he was, again, bugging the Flea in his own home.

But this time, he'd brought something with him.

 

“You’re supposed to _receive_ gifts on your birthday, Shizu-chan, not give them.” Izaya smirked at him again.

“It’s not just for you, Flea, I’m hungry too.”

Izaya just sighed at him.

“Then by all means, let’s sit down at least, right?”

 

Shizuo knew Izaya liked sushi but he hadn’t known what kind specifically.

It’s a good thing Simon knew everything, apparently.

_“Oh-ho Shizu-o, you and Izaya friends now?”_

 

Friends…

As he regarded Izaya comfortably eating the fatty tuna next to him, staring rather disconcertingly at the news on the television, he wondered if they were exactly that…friends…

He supposed that was how it could be viewed, but Shizuo couldn’t exactly call this thing between them _friendship_.

 

That would be a way to simple name for this current that ruled between them.

 

“They’re never going to live it down, are they?” Izaya suddenly started, though the words were not spoken in pure displeasure.

Shizuo followed his gaze to the television, immediately understanding what he meant.

 

“I suppose that’s sensational news for you…” The other continued in his typical aloofness as he stuck another piece of sushi in his mouth.

Shizuo regarded the officials still discussing the events that happened on the 1st of January, though they hardly ever came with anything new or even remotely believable…

 

“Did Shizu-chan already receive my birthday gift by the way?” Izaya suddenly asked, to which Shizuo’s eyes widened, turning towards the raven’s questioning ones.

Confused, Shizuo just stared into amused crimson as he racked his brain, trying to find _anything_ that could’ve passed for a gift this afternoon…

 

“You should’ve gotten a mail by now…” Izaya began with a teasing smile.

Ah, that explained things. Shizuo checked his mail only once a week after all, or was that once a month?

 

“But just so you know, I paid off some of your debts.” 

 

Face contorting into pure shock, the blond stared at Izaya as if he’d just grown another head. Izaya didn’t seem to acknowledge his burning stare however as he was already focusing on the television again.

 

“You…” Shizuo started, still not believing what he had just heard come out of the other’s mouth.

“Why?” He followed up, genuinely curious why Izaya would ever do him such an act of kindness, especially for something as simple as a birthday.

“Well, a lot of the things you destroyed were instigated by _me_ so…” Izaya started again as he picked out another piece of tuna.

 

“I’m just taking some responsibility, Shizu-chan.” He winked at the blond, whom couldn’t fathom a well conducted response for a moment.

He was too abashed, honestly.

 

“Mew!”

At that unexpected sound, Shizuo suddenly froze up even more, eyes whipping around to found the source of the noise.

“Ah, there you are.” Izaya merely quipped next to him, Shizuo following his gaze to the spot on the floor next to the coffee table.

 

The sight of a black cat sitting there with curious golden eyes was yet another suprise.

 

“Shizuo, meet…ehm…”

The cat then glared at Izaya in displeasure before it strolled off to Shizuo, sniffing his shoes in curiosity.

“You got a cat?” He shared in disbelief again as he gently caressed the creature underneath its chin.

“Let’s just say I owed this one something…” Izaya started in a mumble as he stared at the scene.

“Hm, guess it likes you.”

 

“It? You didn’t even give her a name yet?” The blond regarded him with a questioning stare to which Izaya merely shrugged.

“Haven’t gotten to that part yet, Shizu-chan.” Izaya spoke as he stood up next to him and waddled off to the kitchen.

“Why don’t _you_ think of something, hm?” He threw over his shoulder.

 

“Uh…” Shizuo just muttered rather dumbfounded, the cat purring against his hand. He turned his eyes to the tiny creature before him, to the golden rings contently staring into his own.

 

“What about Yuki?”

He tried after Izaya returned from the kitchen with some refreshments.

“Yuki?” Izaya repeated slowly, as if testing out the sound to his own ears.

“Mew!” The cat responded to the name enthusiastically, as if agreeing.

‘Well, I guess that’s decided…’ Shizuo thought as Izaya fed Yuki a piece of salmon.

 

“I guess it has a nice ring to it…” The raven admitted with a small smile, soft eyes staring at the little black ball that munched on the fish in contentment.

 

For some reason, Shizuo had a hard time tearing his eyes away from Izaya’s face at that moment, embracing the moment of seeing the other's lips curved upwards so genuinely.

 

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.” Izaya started again.

“We don’t want Yuki-chan to get fat now do we?”

If Yuki had hands, Shizuo was sure Izaya would’ve received one hell of a slap for that comment.

 

“Oi, Flea…” The blond mumbled to the other softly, regaining his attention.

“Thanks…”

 

Izaya just flashed him another smile.

“Happy birthday, Shizu-chan.” was the simple response.

 

 

As the sun started to hide behind the skyscrapers, they enjoyed the rest of the sushi in meek conversation, Yuki still getting her share every now and then.

 

“Phew, I’m full.” Izaya then mumbled as he sank deeper into the couch, lazily staring out in front of him.

“Oi, you didn’t even eat half your portion…” Shizuo mumbled at the other, brows creasing in disagreement.

 

“Not every one of us can eat us much as _monsters_ do, Shizu-chan.” Izaya teased, not even a bit of bite into the words.

“Well not all of us are skinny ass fleas either.” The blond shot back to said smirking Flea.

 

“Is Shizu chan concerned about my health? I’m so touched!” the words dripped out of Izaya's mouth in pure sarcasm, hand covering his heart.

“I’m serious, Flea.” Shizuo merely grumbled in response, but before he could say anything more, Izaya was already up again.

 

“Tss, stop acting so weird, Shizu-chan.” The Flea quipped as he smirked mischievously.

“What’s the plan?”

“Just getting something nicer to drink, if you’re still sticking around, that is.”

 

And then the Flea disappeared into some corner again, leaving Shizuo with a purring cat rolling against his side.

 

He suddenly felt like having a smoke but he supposed Izaya wouldn’t really appreciate that…

Did that huge glass wall even have an actual window in it somewhere?

 

“So, does Shizu-chan play chess?” Izaya appeared again, fancy glasses and whiskey bottle in hand.

 

There was only one time where Shizuo had tried whiskey and he _swore_ he would never do it again.

But hell if he backed down on the challenge that was apparent behind those crimson, eversmirking eyes.

 

He was sure the Flea was having the time of his life watching his face contort at every swallow, in any case.

 

Not to mention that he was also getting his ass kicked at this game… although not as quickly as he’d expected.

“Hm, you’re not as bad as I thought at this.” The Flea mumbled as Shizuo completed his turn, successfully erasing one of Izaya’s pawns off the board.

The blond merely stared at him with a lopsided grin.

 

Curious golden orbs watched the game in playful curiosity, even though Shizuo was sure the cat didn’t even understand half of what was going on.

 

“By the way…” Shizuo started a bit hoarsely after a throat-burning sip of his glass.

“I think I never actually told you, but I really liked that song you played at the party.”

 

The admittance gained him a slightly surprised Flea, his eyes flicking up to him before he gave a little smile.

 

“Why, thank you Shizu-chan.” He merely responded as he placed his knights forward, threatening one of the blond’s pawns.

“Where do you practice though? Do you go to a music school or something?” Shizuo questioned curiously, gaining an amused chuckle in return.

“My, my, so curious.” Izaya started as he watched the blond calculate his next move. “I’m afraid that’s a secret though.”

‘Tsk, still the mysterious Flea as always.’ Shizuo thought a bit disgruntled.

 

In the end, Izaya won the game but Shizuo was rather proud of how many of the other’s pieces he got to claim.

“So, what’s my prize, hm?” Izaya asked as he leaned forward, head in his hands as he stared at Shizuo rather expectantly.

 

Said blond scoffed at the other before he grabbed the bottle of whiskey, unscrewed and it filled Izaya’s glass again.

“There. Best price ever.”

 

The Flea’s face just fell, however.

 

“Hey, don’t pull a Shinra on me now.” He said, displeased at the amount of whiskey in his glass.

Shizuo merely laughed at him, remembering at the amount of alcohol the Flea had consumed just the day before.

 

Well, he supposed he didn’t want to turn Izaya into an alcoholic.

 

As the Flea poured himself a glass of water instead, Shizuo suddenly remembered a little something still sitting in his pocket, almost forgotten.

 

He planned on returning it today, but he suddenly found it very hard too.

What if Izaya would be reminded of the past again? What if he would take it the wrong way?

 

“Are you okay?” Said Flea was suddenly in his face again, eyeing him somewhat strangely.

“Did your last brain cell finally give up and die, Shizu-chan?”

 

The dead-eyed stare that he aimed at the Flea at that comment only ended up in curved-up lips again.

 

“Oh, I get it, you’re just aching for nicotine aren’t you?” The raven just continued as he put up his finger, like he had Shizuo all figured out.

“Such a bad habit though, you do know those teeth aren’t going to stay that white forever, hm?”

 

Ah, the blond didn’t even realise he was grinding his teeth like that…

 

“It’s not that, you Flea, it’s just…”  He started in slight doubt.  Izaya seemed to take notice decided to just keep quiet and listen, miraculously.

 

“I still have something of yours.”

 

At that, Izaya’s left eyebrow went up to the ceiling, confusion gracing his eyes.

When Shizuo displayed the flick blade in his open hand, however, recognition dawned on them fast enough.

 

With a slight delay, Izaya carefully reached out for his old weapon, pale fingers softly bumping into the inside of Shizuo’s hand, eliciting a cascade of tingling sensations.

 

Izaya stared at the thing for a while, face a mask of impassiveness.

 

“I thought I should return it since we stopped trying to kill each other and all…” Shizuo decided to add rather unintelligently.

It did elicit a slight smile on the other’s face, as Izaya started to toy with the knife in his hand, flicking it open and spinning it about as if testing out the dynamics again. The blond just stared in awe at the smoothness of the other's movements.

 

“Well, at least _now_ I can protect myself properly on the streets again.” Izaya started in mischief, as if he didn’t have a bunch of other flick blades at his disposal.

“So thanks, Shizu-chan.”

 

Shizuo just nodded with a gentle smile, satisfied with how the situation turned out.

 

“Mew!” Yuki cried out between them, standing on the coffee table in a demand for attention.

“I guess Shizu-chan should bring Dokusonmaru with him again next time eh? To entertain you or something.” Izaya mumbled fondly to the cat, petting it a bit before putting her on the floor again.

For a moment, Izaya’s stare stilled, pointed at a blank spot at the wall and Shizuo wondered what thoughts had claimed the other's head just now.

Next thing he knew, Izaya was up again, releasing a dramatic sigh.

 

“About that secret…I guess I could show you something.”

 

Shizuo had no idea what to expect when Izaya took him into the back room, the place being so dark that he thought the Flea was playing some sort of joke on him.

But then the lights came to life and the blond couldn’t help but stare in amazement at the beautiful instrument standing there in the middle of the room.

 

Izaya just waltzed casually past his frozen stature, however as he sat down on the stool and pushed back the cover concealing the keys.

Then those red orbs were aimed at him again in expectation, but Shizuo had no clue what said expectation was.

 

Not until Izaya patted the non-secluded spot on the stool beside him.

“There’s enough space for two here, you know.”

 

Swallowing down a bout of nerves Shizuo didn’t know had stacked up in his throat, he sat down next to the Flea and stared at the ebony and ivory pattern lined up in front of him.

 

“Hm, something easy…” Izaya contemplated with a finger on his chin. Shizuo was starting to think that alcohol really had gone to the Flea's head already.

“Alright, you do the low notes, I’ll do the high ones, okay?”

“Uh…”

“Look, like this.”

 

And just like that, Izaya was teaching him how to play a ‘chord’ or whatever the Flea called it, saying it was a piece of cake for Shizuo since his hands were so big…

Izaya had no idea how much Shizuo was trying to stay gentle with the fragile keys underneath his strong fingers as the other made him mimic a certain rhythm until he got it right.

He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he were to accidentally damage this piano...

 

“Good, now switch to a ‘Fa’.”

 

In hardly any time, Shizuo was suddenly playing a couple of chords in a row, tapping them lightly to his and Izaya's mental beat as the latter started flicking some of his own tunes into the mix, pale fingers dancing across the keys together with his own.

 

As they created the simple but beautiful music together, it suddenly downed on Shizuo just what Izaya was now showing him. This secret that no one else was supposed to find out, the amount of trust put into him for not abusing said knowledge…

In the flurry of thoughts, one of Shizuo’s fingers went slightly astray and a horrible falseness was sent through the room, the which the blond grimaced and Izaya merely laughed.

 

An actual, genuine laugh that spoke nothing but pure joy to which the blond could do nothing but stare as all the fingers on the keys froze completely.

 

For it was the most beautiful sound Shizuo had ever heard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo could never leave him alone, could he?

Certainly now, their never-ending circular dynamic seemed to speed up, perhaps because of the recent change in their intentions.

 

In any case, it made Izaya feel on edge.

 

Like something big was going to happen, something inevitable.

 

Yet something he wouldn’t be able to foresee.

 

Sort of how he didn’t foresee Shizuo visiting him to share sushi or how he didn’t expect to ever see his old pocket knife again, certainly not in the hands of his past nemesis.

Or how he himself decided to show the blond one of his best kept secrets, even letting him _touch_ said secret.

Shizuo had seemed to realise just how sacred the piano was to Izaya, his fingers moving across the keys ever so carefully.

 

And now they were sitting in the couch again, just chatting over another drink as some unimportant soap series was playing in the background.

 

But no matter how surreal the current situation was, Izaya did know one thing.

The times he spent with the blond had been…fun.

And a part of him had a hard time accepting that, still.

 

Because he really didn’t deserve Shizuo’s kindness after all the things he had done…

 

“You know, for a moment there I thought Shinra was going to make us play truth or dare again.” The blond began as he reflected back on the previous night.

“As if any of us would’ve consented to that.” Izaya smirked back at him, whiskey hot on his lips again.

“I still have nightmares from that tickling incident.” He continued to joke. “Good thing I grew out of that.”

 

Shizuo suddenly smirked rather mischievously at him, eyes turning rather dangerous.

 

“Oh, so then, the Flea isn’t ticklish anymore?”

 

And then, before Izaya ever knew what was coming, Shizuo’s fingers were suddenly digging into his sides, making him yelp in the flurry of stabbing sensations.

His body began to squirm uncontrollably underneath the merciless fingers as he tried to free himself of Shizuo’s grasp to no avail.

 

“Sh-Shizu, quit it!” He tried in between his laughing bouts on which Shizuo only seemed to feed on.

 

“What was that Flea? Still not feeling it?” The blond merely responded with that grin still plastered all over his face, fingers moving even faster over Izaya’s tender skin.

“Y-you piece of shit!“ Izaya cackled as he tried to push Shizuo off by smacking the sole of his foot into the blond’s face.

 

Completely undeterred by the act, Shizuo’s uncovered eye only turned more wicked together with the tickling until Izaya had a hard time breathing.

 

The blond seemed to notice this, luckily and finally released him, giving the other the time to recuperate as his lungs heaved in relief.

 

It was at that moment that he became aware of their position, Izaya pushed back into the couch with Shizuo still half-hovering above him, heat radiating off against him like the ocean's waves.

The stupid smile was still lingering on Shizuo’s face too, however, as Izaya continued to refill his system with much needed oxygen.

 

Then those mocha eyes flicked to somewhere below his own for a moment, face falling down into a concerned frown.

Izaya realised the blond was focusing on his wounds from earlier today again, though the cut had to be nothing but a red line by now.

Perhaps the bruise had gotten worse, still...

 

Still too exasperated and probably also slightly intoxicated, Izaya hardly cared about the blond’s profound gaze.

 

His apparent relaxation seemed to work as an invitation to the other, however but Izaya made no move to stop the hand from reaching underneath his chin.

He even gave to blond more space as he felt the gentle trace of a finger against the wound, letting his head fall to the side, watching Shizuo from the corner of his eye.

However careful the touch was, it still prickled the shallow cut in its sensitiveness.

It appeared that Shizuo had no experience with the concept of hyperalgesia…not that that surprised Izaya at all.

 

The background noises of the television seemed to drown out in the his mind as he watched Shizuo’s entranced gaze, feeling oddly relaxed by the gentle touches moving along his skin, reminding him of the way the blond had caressed his hair just the night before with the same slender fingers…

 

Fingers that could easily crush him as if he were a mere flower petal, but perhaps it was that danger, that _threat_ looming in the air which sparked him up as much as it did.

 

His eyes fell closed before he realised it and the further act of submission appeared to have a very provocative effect on the blond.

Because next thing Izaya knew, the fingers on his skin were replaced by something else, something even softer and that much more warm.

 

If the blond had felt him tense up at those lips being planted on his skin, he didn’t show it.

Instead, Shizuo even had the guts to part those tentative lips and flick his tongue across the wound ever so gently, sending an array of sparks into and up Izaya’s spine that made his mind spin, yet Shizuo didn’t seem fazed by what he was doing at all.

There was something gentle yet extremely possessive about the way the other was coating his skin with his own scent, moving from one place in his neck to the other, covering the entire bruise in nips and kisses.

 

Izaya wondered if Shizuo had even noticed his episodes of forced inhalation or the way his skin had risen in temperature underneath the blond’s animalistic touches.

If he'd noticed the hand pushing and pulling at the blond’s white shirt in an internal debate of whether or not to push him away...

 

Because a part of him was telling him this was _wrong._

That this wasn’t a normal thing for them to be doing. That this was way to intimate for them just being friends.

 

‘But you’re not friends.’ His mind whispered to him again.

 

But if they were not friends nor enemies.

Then what exactly was this _thing_ between them?

This tether that despite having been on the verge of annihilation, never seemed to break apart but only grew stronger in their proximity?

 

What was it and why, _why_ was it so damn hard to figure it out?

 

A jostle of movement brought Izaya back to reality as he felt Shizuo’s lips leave his tender skin in a quick movement. Feeling utterly flushed, he tried to steady his gaze as he sat up as well, regarding the suddenly panicked expression on the blond’s flushed face.

 

“Izaya, I- Shit, I’m sorry, I don’t know why I…” Shizuo started, flicking his eyes around wildly as if he could find an explanation for his behaviour out of thin air.

 

When they landed on his crimson gaze once more, mocha eyes stilled again and seemed to drink in the image before him.

 

They flicked below Izaya’s own gaze again but this time, they didn’t stray to the remnants on his neck.

This time, Shizuo was focused on the velvet that were his own lips, eyes glazing over with something Izaya immediately recognized as lust.

 

“Shizuo?” He softly questioned in a meek attempt to slash through the trance that seemed to claim them both.

 

But all it gained him was Shizuo’s blazing eyes capturing his again as large fingers ghosted along his cheekbone, thumb tracing his lower lip and setting it aflame.

With just a bit of pressure, he was coaxed into parting his lips, breath a mere wisp away.

 

In the haze of his own uncertainty, Izaya let himself be enveloped by Shizuo’s own.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to take a little break since I have a lot of stuff I need to catch up on so I made this chapter extra long!  
> Next chap will probably be in 2 weeks, take 3 weeks tops.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading, the kudos and the comments!


	17. To Run Amok

 

 

 

He did not know much about the man who called himself ‘Djinn’.

Most likely, nobody did, and the people who did know more than they should were either dead or forever on the run for their lives, but they would never get far.

At least, that’s one the few things Hiroto had heard.

 

Despite his ‘jolly’ exterior, the man was most definitely dangerous. He was not one to hesitate over important decisions concerning his existence or having the knowledge of said existence in any way.

 

That much was clear now.

 

But Hiroto knew he was not just another pawn to use, at least not at the moment.

Djinn _needed_ him, needed the expertise he had required over the years of dealing in the business that was drugs.

 

It was a choice he had made a long time ago, a choice that wasn’t well thought over, a choice that had nearly cost him his life and his dignity in the past.

A _bad_ choice.

But one he could not turn his back on...

 

“Hey, you do know he’s still suspicious of you for ‘losing’ that shipment right? It won’t be long before he realizes you’re playing your own game here…” A voice spoke next to him, tone rather berating.

“I’m well aware, now if you would concentrate instead of doing small talk, we can get this plan started.” Hiroto responded in annoyance at his partner, whom just frowned at his indifference.

 

“Whatever man, just know that when you get in trouble, I had nothing to do with it, you hear?”

 

Hiroto just sighed, eyes turning dull as he stared into the distance through his binoculars.

They’ve been sitting there all night already, waiting for that ‘beast’ to appear again so they could finally get on with their business. He could tell Djinn’s handymen were getting impatient as well, even though they didn’t utter a single word.

 

 _“It’s time for our next act.”_ Djinn had announced as soon as he entered the man’s room again.

_“Find Orihara Izaya and bring him to me, unscathed.”_

That last part was turning out to be a big question mark, however.

He just hoped that Heiwajima Shizuo wasn’t in the process of annihilating the person they were here for because that would ruin things considerably…

 

But according to Djinn, it couldn’t go wrong, meeting the cunning raven was something that was bound to happen.

Hiroto didn’t know _how_ exactly the man knew, but sometimes, he just did.

 

And honestly, that did scare the hell out of him.

But not enough to stop him from bending towards his own way.

 

After all, he helped create the stuff. It belonged to him as much as it did to Djinn.

He might not even believe in the effects it was claimed to have but the brunet didn’t need to.

The amount of money it produced was already enough to make him tremble in satisfaction.

 

He wasn’t thrilled in the least to see Orihara Izaya again, however, although he supposed he was going to have his share of fun at coaxing the man into coming with him, whether he wanted to or not.

 

“Aight, party time.” His partner suddenly mumbled beside him as Hiroto’s own keen eyes spied a ruffled head of blond hair finally leaving the building’s front entrance, already fumbling with a cigarette in his mouth.

The blond didn’t exactly look very ecstatic however, but he didn’t seem roughed up either.

 

They would just have to hope for the best.

 

“Good, let’s get ready.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Izaya woke to the feeling of being suffocated, though not physically so.

 

It was an incredibly inaccurate feeling, so vague in fact, that he wondered where it had come from in the first place.

 

He tried to clear his mind from the haze of the dream that had enveloped him.

Of the touch of fingers and soft lips.

Of being felt.

Of being _consumed_.

 

Crimson widened in unmasked shock as the scenes flew back to him, attacking his mind, flash after flash.

 

Shizuo’s hands and lips on him.

Shizuo’s mouth pressed against his own, tongue and teeth clashing in the quake of lust.

 

That wasn’t a dream.

That had all been very, _very_ real.

 

And Izaya _hated_ everything about it.

 

Hated that he had let it happen, hated that he had lost control over such stupid, primal urges.

Hated to feel so human over matters like _this_.

 

For a moment, fear gripped at him as the function to breathe suddenly seemed an impossible task, lungs threatening to burst under the pressure that was building up within his ribs.

His mind was turning into a fog of doubt between wanting to remember and trying to erase, to _forget_.

 

Because Izaya _had_ to forget.

Had to push those thoughts and feelings he had about his counterpart deep into the back of his mind, under lock and key.

 

Because Izaya just couldn’t handle them.

He never could before.

And he promised himself he never would, again.

 

‘I’m fine, I’m fine’ the familiar tune began to play in his head, a fruitless attempt to calm the storm raging behind closed eyelids.

 

Why did it always have to be this way?

Why did it always have to be so fucking _hard_?

 

_“You can’t turn off your feelings, Izaya.”_

He grimaced at the memory echoing through his skull, hand pressed over his eyes as if to block it out.

 

_“It’s one of the things that makes us human, after all.”_

Izaya sighed shakily, removing the hand from his vision as he sat up on the side of his bed, staring at the curtain-covered window with dreadful eyes.

 

Loving humans had always been easy, in whatever unsavoury definition of love that was.

 

But loving monsters…

 

He didn’t even know if that thought was aimed at himself or at the one whom had pushed past his barriers like this…

 

Because for Izaya, sometimes _hating_ someone was so much more easy than actually _loving_ them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo was at a loss.

 

Playing with Yuki and her tiger plush, watching the news, making breakfast, none of it could get yesterday’s images out of his head.

Just thinking about it made his entire body flush again, there were even a couple of times where he had almost dropped a plate at the memory of Izaya’s lips against his own.

At the memory of Izaya’s _taste._

 

How they had gotten to that point was already a blur in Shizuo’s mind, he just remembered the tickling, Izaya’s laugh and his squirming, the couple of seconds where he finally let the other calm down and then….as he’d looked at the state of Izaya’s throat again, this _feeling_ he still couldn’t place had hit him so hard, his body had moved before his mind ever had the chance too.

 

But it wasn’t just that which had instigated all that had followed.

 

No.

 

It had been the way Izaya had just _let_ him do it.

 

That unexpected submissiveness he had showed him, driving Shizuo right over the edge of what was between a caring gesture and one that spoke of pure possessiveness, giving way to an unstoppable cascade of sensations, spread out like a flock of birds taking off.

 

The temperature rising tenfold.

 

The sharpness of his ears, focusing on every single sound that escaped from between those soft lips.

 

His entire being filling up with that scent that was so typically Izaya’s.

 

The sudden realisation of what he was doing, pulling backwards, Izaya following him just a tad behind.

 

The apology that was interrupted by the way Izaya was looking at him, eyes glazed over with that ever burning shade of red.

 

Those lips drawing in his own gaze as they mumbled something he didn’t process.

 

The reaching, the touching, the _coaxing_ to part the velvet lips he was so focused on.

 

His own slipping over them, accepted and completely overwhelming.

 

The way Izaya let Shizuo _devour_ him whole.

 

 

As the scenes passed through his mind once more, blood rushed to his cheeks even more heatedly and his hands froze in their actions once again.

 

How long had they stayed like that again before they’d broken apart?

Before Izaya had been panting out of exhaustion and nearly fell asleep with his head bumped into Shizuo chest?

Before the blond had decided to put Izaya in his bed, leaving him to sleep in peace?

 

He suddenly became _very_ aware of a pair of scrutinising golden eyes glowing at him from beneath.

 

“What?” He asked the cat, which almost seemed to smirk at him.

Shizuo just grumbled lowly at Yuki, whom had undoubtedly witnessed the entire scene last night. She wasn’t intimidated at all, however.

 

‘Already taking after her master…how troublesome.’

 

At the sound of steps creeping closer, his eyes widened in slight panic.

 

‘Shit, shit, shit.’

 

What was he supposed to say now? What was the Flea going to say?

He had no experience with these kind of things, for fuck sake…

 

Luckily, Yuki decided to ‘open’ the morning conversation.

She mewled happily at the sight of her master, trotting off to Izaya’s feet before rubbing her side against his jeans in a typical cat’s greeting.

 

 “Good morning to you too…” The Flea chirped lazily at her with a smile.

 

Shizuo unconsciously just stared at Izaya’s face again, the Flea's eyes slightly encircled with the residue of fatigue. He was wearing a shirt the blond hadn’t seen before, though it was in typical, dominating black with some red around the edges of his sleeves and his neck. It made Shizuo wonder if Izaya owned anything that was not tinged in black, grey or red…

 

Then Izaya looked up to Shizuo, looking slightly confused at the apron he was wearing as well as the already set table.

 

“Uh, I made us some…breakfast…” He mumbled uncertainly, now really trying to keep eye-contact with Izaya and not stray off to the marks in his neck made by none other than himself.

 

Wordlessly yet with a slightly curious glance in those crimson eyes, Izaya sat down at the table, examining the dishes covering it.

 

“I didn’t know you could cook.” He commented lightly and Shizuo thought Izaya sounded somewhat impressed.

“Well, it took me a while to learn…” He replied, thinking back to the days where he lived on noodles and other cheap, quick-to-prepare ‘foods’.

He couldn’t keep living on that shit forever though.

 

They ate breakfast together in peace, not saying a single thing as Izaya just started reading the news on his phone, occasionally flicking the screen with his finger.

 

The atmosphere wasn’t exactly _tense_ , but Shizuo couldn’t really relax either.

 

The need to talk about what had happened was becoming a bit too much to bear.

And however hard it was to address…he figured Izaya wouldn’t be the one to start about it.

 

“So…” Shizuo started carefully, watching Izaya’s face as he continued. “…about last night.”

 

“It’s fine.” Izaya chirped out immediately in response, eyes not even leaving his screen to meet Shizuo’s now widened ones.

 

“Let’s just forget about it.”

 

Speechless, Shizuo could only stare at the unconcerned raven.

 

He had played many scenarios in his head, had expected all kinds of reactions from Izaya to the subject.

But not _this_.

Not this… _act_ of writing it off without a single emotion put into it.

 

“But…” Shizuo tried with creased brows, a certain tightness rising within him.

 

“Leave it, Shizuo.” Izaya then bit at him in warning, steeled crimson finally meeting his gaze.

 

They stayed like that for a while, just staring at one another in stubborn defiance, Izaya daring him to go any further on the subject.

But Shizuo wouldn’t fold that easily.

 

“Why? What happened yesterday…it was…” He tried again, but Izaya's gaze only turned colder against his own.

“What happened, Shizuo, was you and me drinking a bit too much. _That’s it_.” The Flea spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I really don’t understand what else there is to say about it.”

 

Then Izaya’s eyes flicked to somewhere below his own, no doubt taking in Shizuo’s very apparent scowl before he mimicked one of his own.

 

‘This Flea…’

 

“So what? You just want to act like it never happened? Like it meant _nothing_?” He responded heatedly to Izaya's indifference, desperation filling in the edges of his words.

 

“Yes!” Izaya exclaimed with his hands up in the air, making it clear once again.

“Because it _didn’t_ , Shizuo.”

 

And then he felt like he was being stabbed right in the chest, something invisible wrapping itself around his insides and clenching it so tightly he felt like he was choking.

 

“It’s just what alcohol does to you, especially if you _lack_ certain things in your life.” Izaya continued like he was giving some sort of essay but the underlying bite in his words was there, even though he was evading the blond’s eyes now.

 

“Honestly, you should probably just go get laid, Shizu-chan, you know, to get rid of those ‘primal urges’…”

 

Izaya’s words just resonated through his head like a blur, echoing away somewhere into its depths and entering dangerous grounds.

 

Eyes cast downwards, Shizuo merely held his lips tightly upon each other for a moment, but he couldn't restrain his fists from balling in against his own flesh, couldn't stop the tensing of his muscles until he was slightly shaking from the frustration. And yet, Izaya still seemed completely unperturbed by his change in demeanour even though Yuki had already decided to bail from the room.

 

“You know I really thought you changed, Izaya.” The words spilled form his mouth as impulsively as the sudden rise from his seat, the other tensing up for a second in response, but at the moment, Shizuo really couldn’t care less.

 

“But you’re still the same asshole aren’t you?”

 

It was out of his mouth before he could take it back and he almost missed the flash of hurt that passed in the crimson eyes.

They hardened again in less than a second however, and then the Flea was just laughing at him again, typical smirk adorning his face.

 

But not that sincere laugh he had the pleasure of witnessing yesterday.

No, it was that laugh Izaya abused to hide his pain and his problems behind a mask of false amusement.

It was that laugh that Shizuo utterly _despised._

 

“Shit, Shizuo, just let it be already.” Izaya tried to paw it off again, scowl sliding back onto his face.

 

“Fine, I will!”

 

Before he did something he would regret.

 

Before he ruined the last of the balance they had built up between them now.

 

Before Izaya would run away from him in the literal sense instead of all _this_.

 

Shizuo decided to leave without a single glance backwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t until the bang of the door resonated through the room that Izaya let himself slack in his seat, head in his hands as the painful feeling of helplessness overcame him, the strings in his heart pulling too tightly, too painfully at every beat that pulsated in his ears.

 

He should’ve known Shizuo was going to be difficult about it.

It’s not like he’d expected it to be easy…

 

But he had not expected the conversation to run amok the way that it did.

 

It had been the only way to get the message across, however.

Izaya hadn’t known how else to deal with it.

And neither had Shizuo, apparently.

 

He sighed shakily again as he stared at the half-empty bowl of rice underneath him.

 

‘I’m sorry, Shizuo…’ He thought in remorse, but it did not ease the internal struggle his system was trying to overcome.

 

His phone beeped with a message and out of reflex, he checked it from the corner of his eye, spying the name of the sender.

 

“Now’s really not the time, Shinichi….” He mumbled tiredly, head still occupied with everything that had transpired the last 24 hours.

 

It was at the sound of feet at his door that Izaya tensed up again, fully expecting the blond to have returned and make things even more complicated.

But then something was fumbling with his automated lock and Izaya knew that whomever it was, they would be bad news.

 

The timing told him enough...

They had waited for Shizuo to leave...

They were here for him.

 

 

He instinctually grasped a knife from the table, hiding it underneath his sleeve before he resumed to eat from his bowl as if nothing was going on at all.

 

Then the lock clicked and Izaya felt a slight breeze of wind against his back, door swaying open.

Soft steps made their way into the room before the he finally decided open his mouth.

 

“Why, if you guys wanted to pay me a visit all you had to do was ring the doorbell.” He spoke rather slyly as he turned around in his chair, eyeing his three ‘visitors’, their faces hidden behind grey, passive masks that revealed nothing but their eyes.

 

“Orihara Izaya.” The middle one began, voice sounding rather young. It was the unconcealed, childish undertone of resentment in his voice that rang a bell in Izaya’s head.

He had met this person before, for sure…

 

“If you would kindly come with us without making a fuss, we promise we’ll be _gentle_ with you.”

 

Izaya sighed as he put down his bowl on the table.

 

Why did it feel like the universe kept mocking him? Kept challenging him to just roll over like a dog and surrender to whatever it was life had to bring for him?

 

Is this what Shizuo had felt like after sending gang after gang on him?

Is this what it felt like to _long_ for peace?

 

 

Izaya couldn’t help but chuckle at himself maliciously.

 

 

In the end, he always made sure of his _own_ downfall, didn’t he?

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait and the relatively short chapter. Sometimes a scene turns out pretty long, sometimes it doesn't.
> 
> The flowery cuteness is over though, Time for drama, hehe. You guys saw it coming right? Right?  
> Oh dear.
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it, going to try and keep updates on schedule again now :)  
> Thoughts/comments/feedback is always appreciated, thanks so much for reading!


	18. The Flower's Cut But It Still Grows

 

 

 

 

It’s been a while, seeing Shizuo in a bad mood like this.  

Because in the last two weeks, the blond had seemed rather content, in Tom’s opinion anyway.

 

The weird thing about that was, it started ever since the news of Orihara Izaya returning to life had flooded the city, the informant apparently jostling around as if he had never even disappeared.

 

Of course, Tom hadn’t mentioned those rumours to Shizuo, afraid the blond might go and immediately transform the now peaceful streets into passages to Hell again.

 

But then they’d actually bumped into Izaya one day.

And Shizuo just started talking to him.

 _Actual_ talking.

 

Tom already didn’t remember about what exactly, the subject had been erased from his mind the moment the two arch-enemies in front of him had opened their mouths in casual conversation to one another.

Shizuo’s calm face had been absent of malice and neither had the other’s words contained any underlying taunts. It was like he had been watching two completely different people, catching up in the normality that was everyday life.

 

None of it had made any sense.

 

But it didn’t have to.

 

Because finally, Shizuo had found his peace again.

And to Tom, that was more than enough.

 

Right now, however, there seemed to be a slight ‘disturbance’ in said peace, as Shizuo’s brows kept furrowing down deeper and deeper with every step he took, teeth slightly grinding on his cigarette that was bordering on breaking apart.

 

So Tom figured, since it had been Izaya who had brought said peace, this sudden change of demeanour most likely had to do with him as well.

But going into that subject directly might be a bad idea….

 

“So, did you get another letter from Vorona or something?” Tom tried instead with a smile that spoke nothing but honest curiosity.

Shizuo regarded him with surprise for a moment, probably not expecting the sudden question regarding their old colleague.

 

“Uh, yeah. She’s pretty busy, got this new job a while ago that she has to travel a lot for…” The blond started, successfully kicked out of his daze.

“She didn’t say what it was about though…” He finished in deep thought, probably going over the options of what her job could be, surely doubting it would be something simple nor innocent.

 

Tom just nodded at him, satisfied with the divergence even if it didn’t last for long.

“Guess it’ll be a while before she responds, hm?” He added casually as he watched Shizuo’s lips fall down into a frown once again.

 

The debt collector gave a tired sigh before he spied the gateway of solutions out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Come on, we still got some time left till the next job.” He told the blond as he pointed at the bistro up ahead.

“My treat.” He added with a wink as Shizuo pulled another face of surprise, though he didn’t verbally question the rash decision.

By now, he must’ve figured out that Tom was trying to cheer him up.

 

They enjoyed their coffee and strawberry milkshake in a comfortable silence before the bespectacled man decided to give it a shot.

 

“So, Shizuo…Did something happen or…?”

 

The blond’s eyes shot up to his for a second before they closed entirely, a huff of air leaving his mouth in a surrendering sigh.

 

“I’m sorry Tom-san, it’s just…”

He glanced somewhere to the wall on his right, eyeing a picture of a steaming chocolate cake, looking way too delicious.

 

“I said some bad things….to someone…”

 

‘Ah, here we go…’ Tom thought as the pieces were already aligning in his head.

 

“And now you regret that?”

 

“Yeah…well…some of it…” The blond mumbled back as he fumbled with the straw in his milkshake.

“Well…did this…person deserve your, uhm…. lecture?” Tom tried, reassuring smile in place to put Shizuo at ease.

 

The latter sighed again before he groaned in frustration.

“I don’t know, it’s all just so…”

‘Difficult’ Tom filled in for Shizuo in his head. The internal conflict was clear as the night sky in the blond’s eyes, after all.

 

“Hm.” He hummed in understanding before delving a tad deeper into the subject.

“What was it about?”

 

Tom had seen Shizuo turn _many_ different shades of red throughout their time working together.

But _this_ shade, he had not yet witnessed and the way the blond starting sputtering incoherent words in embarrassment was enough for Tom to figure out what the whole ordeal had been about.

 

“Nevermind, nevermind!” He quickly waved it off, making the blond fall silent again, cheeks still slightly lit up.

“But hey, you know if you feel bad about it, maybe you should just apologize? Or talk about it at least?”

 

“I know…” Shizuo spoke as he frowned down into his near empty glass, crease appearing on his forehead again as the seconds ticked by.

 

Tom just kept smiling knowingly before he gave a sigh and slumped back into the soft cushions of his seat.

 

“You know, I think I can handle the rest of the clients by myself today.”

 

Surprised mocha eyes looked up at him once again, staring for a good second or two before Shizuo took the hint Tom laid out for him.  He quickly rose from his seat as he tsk’ed through smiling lips.

“Thanks…” He spoke in genuine appreciation, Tom just nodding at him with a smile of his own.

“I’ll make it up to you later!”

 

Tom waved after his colleague and friend as the blond left the place in slight hurry, nodding to the waiter on his way out in rushed politeness.

 

He never quite understood the atypical dynamic between Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya.

It had always been dysfunctional, whether they were up close or separated by thousands of kilometres.

 

At least, that it how it seemed to Tom.

 

But he did know _one_ thing.

Those two would always find a way back to each other.

In hatred, despise, teasing playfulness or apparently, even in the most mundane of conversations.

 

So maybe now, just for once, Tom hoped it would be in something even better than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

It was an eerie thing.

This archaic feeling.

The feeling that something was definitely amiss.

 

Shooter had noticed it first, a suspicious neigh leaving from his non-existent vocal chords as he woke from his slumber. Celty felt the unease creep into her as well, wondering where exactly it had come from.

 

“What is it, Celty?” Shinra asked in concern at her change in posture.

She put down the game controller on the couch next to her before typing a reply.

[Something’s wrong…Shooter feels it too…]

 

Shinra just stared at her in curiosity, putting his finger on his chin in deep thought.

[I don’t know how to explain it…it’s sort of the feeling when my head is close, but it has a different kind of…aura? It’s very odd…and unpleasant.]

 

Her words obviously surprised her lover, but at the same time she saw worry flash across his eyes.

“It’s not another Dullahan, is it?” He asked curiously.

 

Celty just shook her head.

[No, I’m certain that’s not the case.]

 

But she really did wonder what _it_ was.

It had to be something as extraordinary as she herself was, to be sensed like this…

But did it live, did it breathe?

Could it _feel_ like she did?

 

“You think it has to do with any of this?” Shinra interrupted her thoughts as he pointed at the television, which had flashed to a news broadcast.

They both listened intently to the words that flowed out from the screen, Celty tensing up at the revelation.

 

Nakura had just been proclaimed dead.

 

“Suicide?” Shinra mimicked in slight disbelief but didn’t comment on it any further.

[You think Izaya knows about this?]

“He’s probably watching the same thing, knowing him.”

 

She typed the informant a quick message on the subject, while Shinra started mumbling after the newsman’s words about the death of ‘Ikebukuro’s terrorist’.

 

5 minutes later, she still hadn’t gotten a reply.

Which was strange, considering Izaya usually replied in less than 10 seconds.

 

“Maybe Shizuo is still chasing him?” Shinra remarked cheeckily.

[Since yesterday morning? Right…] She replied in disbelief.

 

Her lover merely grinned at her mischievously, gaining him another playful tap to the abdomen.

 

She promptly got up from the couch next, however, grabbing her helmet in quick succession.

[I’m checking this out.] She announced simply, Shinra sending her off with his typical lovestruck smile as if he didn't expect anything else from her.

 

Of course, she herself couldn't resist bumping her helmet against the eager skin on the doctor's forehead in a loving gesture before she made for the door.

 

 

Despite the foreign feeling that sat in the air slightly disappearing, she still couldn’t shake her own worrying rising from the pit of her stomach.

 

She didn’t even need to tell Shooter where to go as the black horse took off to a certain raven’s nest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Shizuo neared the familiar building, he realised the alarming feeling he was experiencing was not just some sickening form of nervousness at seeing the Flea again.

Because when he spied two very familiar forms approaching him rapidly in the distance, he knew that something had to be off.

 

“Celty?” He questioned her appearance as they met in front of the apartment building’s entrance.

[Did you see the news? I asked Izaya too but he’s not responding so I just came to check up…] She typed quickly in response, Shooter neighing worriedly, appearing impatient.

 

All Shizuo heard was that the Flea hadn’t responded to Celty’s message, which was an uncharacteristic thing to do all by itself and now, concerning the current aura of uneasiness dominating the air, the blond couldn’t suppress the feeling that something was definitely wrong.

 

After that, everything went very fast.

The ascend to the top, the swing of the unlocked door opening, the call of Izaya’s name resounding through the complex.

 

The deafening silence that followed…

 

At least, until a tiny mewl came from underneath Izaya’s desk.

Once Yuki’s golden eyes flickered to Shizuo’s form, she immediately ran towards him, eyes all wild and scared.

 

 “Yuki...” The blond exclaimed in relief, yet surprise at her bewildered state.

“What happened…” He mumbled as he picked her up to which she buried her head in his arms.

Celty came up to his side, giving the cat a small comforting pet before she went off to investigate the apartment.

 

The table Shizuo had set earlier today was unchanged, except for a glass or two that had been kicked off to the floor somehow, reduced to shambles.

 

When his eyes fell to some still liquid drops of blood on the floor, the blond’s heart fell.

Even though he had no idea of what had transpired here, his mind immediately made up its own conclusions.

 

Izaya was hurt.

 

Izaya was gone.

 

_Izaya was taken._

 

 

The weight of those thoughts went straight to that tangled part of his mind, that which he always struggled to control.

 

But that rage was melted down to mere flutters, just so he wouldn’t scare the innocent cat in his arms again like he had done just this morning…

 

But the guilt, he could not shake.

 

“I shouldn’t have left him…” He mumbled softly, but Celty looked up at him from the far side of the room, catching his words nonetheless.

“I got mad at him and then I left… I just left… If I’d stayed, then I-“

 

[This isn’t your fault Shizuo. You couldn't have seen this coming so please don’t beat yourself up...] Celty interrupted him sternly, before she continued to look around, seemingly looking for something specific.

 

Even though she didn’t even know what had happened between him and Izaya, Celty would always try to ease his mind. It was something the blond was extremely thankful yet it didn't exactly make him feel much better...

 

A sudden insistent beep of his phone drew both of their attention, in his annoyance the blond quickly checked the phone, grumbling out more curses in his state of oppression.

He pulled a face at the message by some guy named Tsukumoya Shinichi, inviting him to his chat room or some other bullshit.

 

Meanwhile, Celty had snuck up next to him and seemed very surprised at the message to which the blond raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You know this guy or something?” He grumbled out questioningly to which she quickly started typing a response as she nodded.

 

[You don’t now? He’s a famous author! Shinra told me Izaya mentioned him once too…perhaps they know each other?]

 

Shizuo narrowed his eyes at her words but also felt a twinge of hope rise from the beats of his heart.

 

If this guy knew Izaya, he might know something about all this…

 

Accepting the invite, Shizuo was directed into the blank chat room, odd words appearing before him as Celty watched along in fascination.

 

 

**Heiwajima Shizuo, Reborn!**

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Welcome, Heiwajima-san.

 

Mocha eyes just narrowed at the politeness of the other as he was already typing out the questions brewing on his lips, patience non-existent as he even forgot to turn off his caps.

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** WHERE’S IZAYA? WHAT HAPPENED? IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING...

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** My, I knew you were a fervent one but now you’re just being rather rude.

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** …

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** I _might_ know something, however.

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** But I need to ask you something first.

“This guy…” Shizuo grinded his teeth as he seethed out the words, phone nearly cracking in his hand.

 

[Relax, let’s just hear what he has to say…] Celty tried to sush him down, her hand placed gently on his shoulder.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Who is Orihara Izaya to you?

 

Shizuo’s eyes widened at the unexpected question.

 

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Is he an enemy? A friend? Perhaps a mixture of those two? Or maybe something entirely else…

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** What does it matter to you what he means to me?

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Oh, but it does matter, Heiwajima-san. You see, I’ve known Izaya for a long time and also in a very _different_ way.

**Heiwajima Shizuo: …**

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** What are you getting at?

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Well, as much as I’d really like to slap him sometimes, I’ve never tried to kill him, unlike you.

**Heiwajima Shizuo: …**

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Not that I blame the entire weight of such an act solely on you. We both know that Izaya has a rather…pathological state of mind when it comes to the things he wants to achieve.

 

Frowning, Shizuo typed his next response a bit more slowly, trying not to remember the horrible night that still haunted both his and Izaya's dreams till this very day.

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** Yeah well, those ‘things’ are in the past, It’s… different now.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Ah, so I’ve noticed.

 

This guy and his obnoxious act of all-knowingness were really starting to annoy the shit out of Shizuo.

He didn’t like where this thing was going at all.

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** But what if the past comes back to haunt you? What if things change once more?

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** What if he turns back to what he was? Back to the Orihara Izaya you always despised?

 

His fingers clamped around the phone tensely again as he frowned even deeper. Next to him, Celty didn’t offer a word, leaving Shizuo to make his own decision.

After a moment of stagnant silence, he formed an answer, eyes steeled with determination.

 

 **Heiwajima Shizuo:** He won’t. And even if he does, I’ll deal with it.

 

 **Heiwajima Shizuo:** I won’t go back to the way I was. I won’t lose control no matter what he does.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Why?

 

A question so simple, yet it struck all kinds of feelings within him. He knew which one to be true, however.

**Heiwajima Shizuo:** Because I care.

The simple admittance was enough to get him blushing again and he half expected Celty to start chuckling in typical amusement, but in the severity of the situation, she merely squeezed the hand that still laid upon his shoulder in reassurance.

 

They waited silently for a while for a response, Yuki now sleeping in the cradle that was his left arm, soft purring vibrating up his skin.

 

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Shijima Hiroto.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** He’s the only one who knows where to find Izaya.

The name didn’t ring any bells in Shizuo’s mind, but that was okay.

Because he would find this guy, this _piece of shit_.

 

And he would find Izaya.

 

No matter the cost.

 

 

 **Heiwajima Shizuo:** Thank you.

**Tsukumoya Shinichi:** …

 

 **Tsukumoya Shinichi:** Good luck, Heiwajima-san.

**Heiwajima Shizuo, confirmed dead!**

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Three darts.

 

The first two were rather easy to dodge, soaring right passed his neck and shoulder, his response a quick fling of the kitchen knife that scraped through and across the side of the middle one’s mask.

 

The third hit him somewhere in his leg but he hardly registered the sting.

 

By the time he pulled it out, it was already too late, unknown chemicals coursing through his veins and leaving his body vulnerable to the darkness that claimed him in mere seconds.

 

 

 

Then flutters, fast and intermittent, slashing through the haze of his awakening.

He felt like he was floating, yet he was certain he was laying still.

 

Then came the voices.

Voices that were surely not from within his own head for they spoke in a very different tongue, a very different rhythm than what he was used too.

 

As he vaguely recognized the fluttering belonging to the slashes of a helicopter’s blades, his unfocused eyes closed again, unable to keep up with the feeling of overwhelming fatigue.

 

 

 

Another eternity later, re-energised crimson eyes opened again, and as the realisation downed on him what had happened before, adrenaline spiked up in his bloodstream. He rose up in one quick swipe from his prone position, the old bed underneath him creaking in protest.

 

Being kidnapped was something Izaya was not unfamiliar with and neither was being handcuffed, but this scenario was still uniquely different.

The little room he just woke up in didn’t have a window, which made scanning his surroundings rather hard.

He didn’t even need to though, since as soon as he took his first step from the small bed, there was a key turning in the lock of the lone door.

 

A click and a slow opening shrivel of sound later, the two men from before appeared in front of him again, though he couldn’t be too sure…

Except for their build, their clothing was identical, masks nearly as plain as an open summer sky.

 

“Follow.” One of them ordered in strangled Japanese but Izaya understood nonetheless.

 

They led him through a maze of halls, nothing but a bunch of candles lighting them up to a measly extent as their footsteps echoed countless times in the open space. But even in the little yellow hue that was provided, Izaya could tell that the place was unkempt, dust lingering upwards with every foot they placed on the stone floor.

 

Questions like ‘What is this place?’ and ‘Where are you taking me?’ were laying at the tip of his tongue but that’s where they remained. Something told him that he was going to find out soon enough anyway.

It wasn’t long before they came before another door, a flash flood of colour attacking his retinas as it was swayed open.

 

As soon as he felt the dirt underneath his shoes and a gush of wind blow through his black locks rather aggressively, Izaya took the liberty to do a quick take on his surroundings.

His eyes widened at the sight of endless blue fencing him in from every angle and that he was in fact, stuck on a rather small island.

How typical.

 

Well, at least the view from up here was nice.

 

It was rather surprising how his ‘captors’ were treating him, however.

He was supposed to be a prisoner but the two masked men were just standing there, staring at him as if waiting for him to finish observing the place, as if they were taking a guest on a tour.

Guests usually didn’t wear any cuffs though.

 

Izaya figured he’d seen enough for now, so they continued their way to his still mysterious destination.

 

He couldn’t help but be slightly entranced by the way the voluptuous trees were swaying with the harsh tide-strengthened winds, splitting apart to reveal a path amidst the forest.

Some big-winged bird flew overhead, screeching as if warning others of intruders.

The entire island was nearly covered in foliage, however, as far as he could see anyway.  There _were_ some odd looking towers peaking up every here and there though, as well as flat, long buildings sticking out in between the trees.

As bland as they seemed, Izaya was sure that the things going on inside were more than just suspicious.

 

Up ahead appeared yet another structure, like an old mansion of sorts.  They went through an open, rusted iron gate, screeching with the wind as it slightly swayed along. 

It was a good thing the sun was still up.

 

Surprisingly, the place looked rather tidy on the inside, no cracks or cobwebs to be scouted. They entered another little hall again, just to arrive at the last door, a light glimmer of orange slipping out from beneath it.

 

The closer they got to it, the more apparent a certain sound became.

The very familiar melodic sound of a piano.

 

One of the two men then pulled out a key, swiftly unlocking the cuff around his wrists while the other opened the door for him, bowing and indicating him to go inside.

 

Despite the odd situation, Izaya decided to just go with it for now. He was happy to be rid of the restraints around his hands anyway since the old wound on his wrist was still somewhat sensitive and that cuff hadn’t helped at all.

 

 

As soon as he stepped inside, he let his eyes took in the many ornaments in the room, the old furniture, the dozens of paintings and ‘art’ statues, an old birdcage with nothing to inhabit it and then the old piano, somewhere in the far left corner.

A shallow cast of warm yellow fell over It all, cast by the fireplace crackling actively in the right wall, acting as the only source of light in the large room.

 

Crimson eyes collected as much from the place as he could while his ears focused on the nostalgic tunes emitted from the old string instrument.

 

‘Für Elise’, he almost immediately recognized, a common classic.

A bit too many times to Izaya’s liking however, there was a slip of the finger and it made him cringe visibly.

 

“You’ll have to forgive me, I’m self-taught you see.” A low voice rose as if it could read his mind.

Soon enough, a form became clear from behind the wooden piano and Izaya’s eyes narrowed at another masked face presented before him.

 

“It’s a Steinway by the way, dates all the way back to 1887.” The tall man stepped forward in a slow pace towards him, orange hymn sticking to his clothed body, yet revealing zero amount of skin.

“Do you like it?”

 

“Who are you?” Izaya merely asked monotonously, ignoring the man’s question in total.

It made the other stop in his tracks as an amused chuckle escaped from behind the beige mask and although no expression could be read on it, Izaya was certain the man was smiling.

 

“You may call me Djinn.”

 

The voice was overly sincere, accompanied by a charming bow.

 

It only made Izaya scowl, however.

 

“And you, Orihara Izaya, are _very_ welcome on my island.”

 

It was at that moment that Izaya caught a glimpse of that which Shizuo must’ve felt when the blond had first met _him_ as he stared into the most hypnotizing blue he’d ever encountered.

 

_“I don’t like you.”_

 

Izaya smirked at the memory, not breaking contact with the azure eyes that stared curiously into the blood red of his own.

The smugness behind them only strengthened their brilliance, however.

 

It was as if the man knew just how much he could use them as a weapon, as a means to draw in the naïve before unexpectedly, lethally snapping at them.

 

He had the aura of a manipulator, a trickster, a _snake_.

But he was also that which Izaya swore to love unconditionally.

 

Ah, yes.

He was just another human being, treading upon his path.

 

Or perhaps, there was something more to this man?

 

Izaya wasn't sure if he wanted to find out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And on we go!  
> Hope you guys enjoyed! :) Thanks for all the love, as always.


	19. Dedicated To All Human Beings

 

 

The over-clothed man clasped his gloved hands together in enthusiasm, as if he didn’t even acknowledge Izaya’s silence.

 

“It’s incredible though!” Djinn sing-songed, a hidden accent of foreignness in the words.  “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

 

The raven wasn’t sure what to do nor think as the snake started to encircle him in a quick pace, though it seemed to be in innocent curiosity, no threat to be sensed whatsoever.

 

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day, this _moment_.”

The man continued as he stopped in front of Izaya again, whom remained slightly tensed up at the investigating glance of the other.

 

Confusion entered the fray at the man’s words. Djinn acted as if he were finally meeting an idol, not that Izaya wasn’t well known but still.

He doubted this was about his skills as an informant...

 

“I do hope my friends treated you well on your journey here?”

 

Izaya couldn’t help but bark an incredulous laugh at that question.

What a funny guy.

 

“Of course…” He mumbled back somewhat sarcastically to the other, not bothering to go into that subject.

Izaya just wanted to know what all of this was about.

 

“So is there something you need from me or am I just here to ‘enjoy’ my stay on this floating rock?”

 

Djinn didn’t seem to give a care at his annoyed tone, however. If anything, he was even more amused by Izaya's response.

 

“Straight to the point aren’t you? How admirable.” The man chirped in his relaxed stance, hand on his hip as he regarded Izaya with coy eyes.

“How about I’ll explain things over a game of chess?” He proposed, a gloved hand pointing towards a small table by the fireplace.

“I heard you’re a fan.”

 

As the words rolled of off the man’s tongue in that all-knowing tone, Izaya got the uncomfortable feeling that Djinn knew much more things about him that he'd never appreciate...

But as much as he found that suspicious, the real question was: Why?

He was pretty sure he never had any dealings with this man before, at least not directly. He would surely remember an individual as well as a name so… atypical.

 

“Why, however did you know?” Izaya responded just as coyly. “Though I do hope you’re better at that than at playing the piano.”

 

Djinn just chuckled again, deep and darkly so, but the informant couldn’t tell if it was from actual amusement or just to hide the stab at his pride.

 

Even the wooden chess pieces were old and Izaya nearly wanted to throw them into the fresh flames next to them just to see how easily they would burn.

All the other ornaments in the room appeared to be just as ancient, however. Izaya figured the guy must be some sort of collector or maybe even a fanatic.

He was creepy at the least, that’s for sure.

 

“Before I say anything else, let me thank you first, Izaya-san.”

Djinn continued happily as he sorted all the pieces onto their rightful places, taking the white side for himself as Izaya sat himself down in his typical gracefulness.

“If not for your valiant actions regarding Nakura, I’m afraid things would’ve gone a bit too far and well, he would’ve had to face a death much more…. gruesome?” The man seemed to ask himself, his movements freezing for the shortest of moments as he took a moment to think.

 

“Yes, I do think that’s the correct term.” He answered himself just as quickly as Izaya merely stared, again not sure what to think as the man’s words finally clicked in his head.

 

This guy?

This weirdly overdressed, mask wearing snake of a man was the one who’d tried to bomb Ikebukuro?

The man who had _killed_ off Nakura?

 

The one behind all the strings?

 

The idea seemed completely ridiculous as crimson eyes stared somewhat dumbfounded at the person before him, whom merely continued talking in his joyful tone.

 

“I _knew_ I was going to meet you one day of course, but to think it’s in these circumstances…what a twist of fate.” The guy continued as he leaned his head on crossed fingers before pointed his eyes up and down between the board and Izaya, as if waiting for him to make a first move.

Was the man trying to make some sort of point by going against the rules?

 

Izaya internally kicked himself for sitting there like a deer in headlights for a moment too long before he made moved his first piece, though never breaking the gaze aimed for the man in front of him.

 

If the guy liked to play games, Izaya would just play along.

 

“If you wanted to meet me so badly, why didn’t you just have me kidnapped sooner?” Izaya questioned sarcastically at the other whom was busy pushing his own pawn forwards.

 

“Well, I had to find you first, of course.” Djinn responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world but the way he was now intently watching Izaya gave him away.

 

He was waiting for a response, for that glimpse of surprise to shine through. He knew that none of what he was saying was making any sense, couldn’t make any sense.

But Izaya wouldn’t fold just yet and merely placed another move on the board.

 

“First, your name.” Djinn continued as he embraced his knight between two fingers, shifting it forwards threateningly.

“Secondly, your location.”

 

Izaya’s eyes flicked up to the oceans of blue in front of him, only to find them staring back into his blooded ones with promising challenge.

 

“And now I need to find out exactly _why_ you are here…” The snake spoke in riddles.

 

Izaya had to admit, the guy was pulling off a nice act of appearing oblivious to his own questions.

 

“You kidnapped me to see why I’m here?” He drawled out, voice matching his smirking, disbelieving face.

 

Djinn just nodded enthusiastically.

“Indeed! Though I can see why that’s confusing to you.”

 

‘Do you now?’ Izaya thought as his eyebrow remained raised at the other.

 

“Does _this_ stir your memory perhaps?” The other said as he pulled a very familiar black pill from his sleeve.

 

Izaya’s eyes widened at it for just a second, not at all expecting to see the drug Aoba had found on his sister again, in this man’s hands no less.

 

“My friends found it at your place, which is very compelling I must say, but I suppose I must thank you once again for returning this to me.” The man continued as he fumbled with the pill between his fingers.

 

“Of course, I know Shijima-kun is a rotten apple but he’s rather valuable to me, still. Won’t be for that much longer though, if he keeps up this ‘phase’ of rebellion.”

 

The name instantly rang a bell in his mind and just like that circle of puppets expanded even more.

So that kid from Heaven’s Slave was caught up in this as well?

 

“So you’re a drug dealer?” Izaya asked in his typical mocking tone as he finally did a move on the board, capturing one of the other’s pawns successfully.

 

It was at that moment that he finally experienced a more serious side of the man in front of him, though Izaya doubted it was because he just claimed one of his pieces.

 

“I must say I’m offended that you’d think so, Orihara-san, you see…” The other spoke rather darkly.

 

“It is anything _but_ your usual drug.” He said as he held the thing up between two fingers, eyeing it so lovingly it made Izaya cringe inside.

 

“ _Zeruan_.” The word fluttered out of his mouth like it was a prayer.

“It’s the source of all your questions and answers.” He announced as if telling a tale while he moved his queen about the board.

 

“It is also the most expensive drug you can imagine.”

Azure sprung up to meet crimson again in a steady gaze.

 

“I mean, don’t take me wrong but not even _you_ can afford one of these, Izaya-san.”

 

Izaya merely raised his eyebrows again at the man’s words.

 

“So, in order to get that into Ikebukuro, you decided to bomb it?” He replied with a huff, edging his knight away from the other’s reach.

“That seems a rather dramatic diversion to me, if it’s worth so much I’m sure you would’ve found other ways to get it in.”

 

Of course, unless the man enjoyed plays of sadistic carnage.

But that wasn’t the vibe Izaya caught from him, though something _was_ clearly off about this man.

 

Djinn chuckled at him again, nodding in agreement before making another move.

“It’s true, I could’ve.” He continued slyly. “But it wasn’t my decision, you see, I just follow the path that has been laid out for me.”

 

The path laid out for him…

 

‘Don’t tell me there’s still someone higher up on the ladder…’ He thought in annoyance as he counteracted again, a crease forming between his eyes as he glared at the pieces on the board.

 

Suddenly, Djinn started laughing at him, just straight out laughter as if someone had just cracked the joke of the day.

As perplexed as he was on the inside, Izaya didn’t show it. He just patiently waited for the man to finish his lone laughing frenzy.

 

“I’m sorry, I really am.” The snake said in between barks of laughter.

“It’s just…you’re so _good_ at hiding your confusion behind that mask of yours, I’m jealous really.”

 

If the man was trying to irk him even more, he was surely succeeding…

 

“Where did you even get eyes like that, I wonder? They’re so beautiful, it’s ridiculous.”

 

Izaya couldn’t help but let a frown fall on his face at the others genuine words.

Was this guy seriously starting to flirt with him now?

 

Then a curt knock came from the door before it creaked open and one of Djinn’s ‘friends’ slipped in, trudging towards them in a casual pace.

The underling then whispered something into the snake’s ear and Izaya merely watched, trying to catch a word or two.

 

“Je serai là bientôt.” Djinn responded openly, however as the other just nodded and quickly left them alone again.

 

Izaya knew some words in French, but certainly not enough to have a good grasp on the language and Djinn probably knew that Izaya didn’t.

 

This man seemed to know almost everything about him.

And he, despite his occupation, didn’t know a _thing_ about Djinn in return.

Needless to say, it was frustrating as hell.

 

“Let me pull you out of your misery, shall I?” The other returned his attention to Izaya again as he seized one of the the informant's pieces in a swift movement, as if he’d predicted it up front.

 

“Do you know the meaning of the word happiness, Izaya-san?” Djinn started rhetorically, though Izaya inwardly had to narrow his eyes at the weighted question.

 

“You see, give or take 20 years ago, I had no idea what being happy even meant in the slightest way…”

He started as he followed Izaya’s fingers move another piece on the board with attentive eyes.

 

“At one point I was so sick of life, I ran into the mountains at the deep of night, looking for my salvation…”

 

And then he claimed another of Izaya’s pieces, but he was hardly paying attention anymore, the fire on his right side suddenly feeling a bit too hot that it made him slightly nauseous though it could also be the overly dramatic voice Djinn was using to tell his story…

 

“And _there_ it was, a flower as black as the starless sky itself, blooming in all its beauty underneath the moon’s silver shine…” The snake spoke as if he were reciting a poem.

“It was said to be highly poisonous, just a nibble on one of its petals was enough to kill a new born lamb…”

He continued in awe as the wood crackled beside them.

 

“The seeds are supposed to be the most toxic, however, so I just took them into my hand, pushed them inside my mouth and swallowed without a second of doubt….”

 

Djinn then caught Izaya’s stare with a certain steel behind the blue, depicting the seriousness of his next words as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

 

“But die, I did not. On the contrary, I had never felt more _alive_.”

 

Izaya just stared at the man, digesting the story that sounded more like a fairy tale than actual truth.

 

The other leaned back into his chair again though as he held his gaze, head leaning sideways on his hand as he spoke his next words like cotton candy.

 

“It showed me everything that was about to come, your face being one of those things.”

 

And then Izaya’s hand froze over the pawn he was about to move, eyes flicking up again at the man in front of him with a questioning gaze though the other wasn’t meeting it, absent mindedly staring at the frozen hand instead.

 

“The ball in Venice, the first-class flight in Chicago, the fire and smoke lighting up the sky in Ikebukuro….” He summed up as if he were counting sheep.

 

 

“However vague the images were, I saw everything I needed to do to attain happiness.” The man continued as Izaya’s eyes for narrowed further, though he did finally move his piece towards its destined place.

“Because _that_ is what Zeruan does.” Djinn finished, immediately shifting one of his towers across the board in a quick motion.

 

“It shows you the path to happiness?” Izaya then asked rather disbelievingly.

 

Not that he did not believe in the abilities of nature’s creations, morphine for one, was no different in origin.

 

But to see the future? To _see_ things that you’ve never even laid eyes on appear before you?

 

It seemed way to far-fetched, even in a world with things like Dullahans and Saikas.

 

“Oh, I know it’s hard to grasp.” Djinn continued, a knowing gleam shining in the blue.

“But I _am_ offering you a very rare chance, here, Izaya-san.”

 

And then he ever so carefully shifted the drug towards Izaya, letting it rest on the table right for the taking.

 

“I’m willing to prove the truth to you, if you’ll let me.”

 

His eyes widened slightly before they narrowed to near slits, sharp glare aimed at the other man who wasn’t intimidated in the least.

 

“If you think I need a drug to tell me what ‘path’ I need to follow in my life, then you don’t know me all that well, Djinn-san.” He bit out at the other, whose gaze never lost that twinge of amusement.

 

“Ah, that’s what they all say, until they actually have a taste.” Djinn merely continued in that all-knowing voice that sparked up Izaya’s nerves.

 

“You see, we have a very limited amount of clients but that’s because we pick them out based on certain parameters, _money_ being one of them.”

“Not just because I’m in need of it for further adjustments, since the drug is still rather _unstable_ or how should I call it…”

Djinn added thoughtfully, eyes still focusing on the black and white pattern in front of him.

“But also, because of what’s associated with it.” He quipped as he lined up his next move.

 

“You see, people often think money brings them happiness, but does it really?”

It was another rhetorical question and Izaya decided to just let the man do his story again in patience as they exchanged more turns on the chess board.

 

“We’ve had a lot of success, in any case, sometimes a bit _too_ much.” He ended with a sigh.

“I’m afraid addiction is another one of its…side effects.”

 

‘How gracefully put…’ Izaya thought, smirk in his eyes shining through.

 

“Sadly, we can’t let people drift onto the edge of their contract of secrecy, and addiction does instigate such things…” Djinn continued as he pondered on his next move, fingers tapping on his chin in deep thought.

 

“So you get rid of them…” Izaya filled in for him.

 

“You make it sound so cruel.” Djinn drawled out with a sad tone in response.

“It’s not like they’re just bags of meat to me, more like valuable test subjects, all bringing in their share for the good of humanity.”

 

‘For the good of humanity? Right…’ His thoughts swirled disapprovingly.

 

“Just think about it!” The snake started again in dripping enthusiasm. “The entirety of the human race, all able to see what path they need to follow to gain that which everyone wants the most.”

 

“That’s a rather tough claim…” Izaya responded with a sigh as he watched another of his pieces get torn away from the battle.

 

“How so? Isn’t happiness something we all aspire to achieve?” Djinn questioned him again.

 

“Who knows…” Came the vague answer. “But claiming some mountain flower gives you the power to see the future…” He drawled out disbelievingly as he shifted another piece, though without much attention to the game any more.

 

Surely this man had to agree that it all sounded very, _very_ illogical.

 

Of course, Djinn just chuckled heartily at his words, leaning his head sideways on his hand again as he watched Izaya with keen interest.

 

“Well, I do think you’re more intrigued than you’d like to admit since you’ve just very much lost the game, which is a rare occasion for you, is it not?”

 

Taken aback, Izaya’s eyes flicked down at the black-white pattern, Djinn's two bishops were placed so they would surely leave his king bleeding on the board...

Checkmate.

 

“But don’t worry, I don’t expect you to _swallow_ all of that information so easily.” Djinn continued suavely, softly giggling at his own pun as Izaya levelled him with a glare.

“So I’ll give you some time to _process_ it all, how about that?”

 

Before Izaya could say anything to that, the man swiftly got up from his chair, already waltzing away towards the door as if he was the king of the world.

 

“My friends will take care of you, I’m afraid I have to leave now, my dearest assassin is waiting for me.” He starting calling over his shoulder

“I’m sure you’ll get to meet her in the future sometime, though she’s not very talk-active.”

 

Then he did a little spin to wink at Izaya in his next words, much to the latter’s annoyance.

 “Au revoir!”

 

Then he was left with nothing but his lost battlefield and the crackling fire next to him, setting his right side ablaze.

 

And Izaya honestly didn’t know what to think of the situation.

 

Because however intriguing, or Djinn liked to put it, the whole ordeal was…

Izaya really just wanted to go home.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Should I get you a doctor or something?”

 

At his partner’s words, Hiroto aimed an annoyed gaze at him as he slouched back into the couch.

 

“Are you fucking serious? He just nicked me…” He mumbled as he touched the cut from Izaya's knife...

“But what if it’s poisoned or something? He seems like the type of guy to play dirty…”

The brunet just stared blankly at the other.

 

“It was a _kitchen_ knife…”

 

The other just waved his arms in surrender.

“Fine, fine, I’m going to see whats up with the ruckus in the front anyway.”

 

‘Ruckus?’

It was then that Hiroto noticed the loud noises etching ever closer to where he was.

First something toppling over, wood cracking in the fall to the floor. The brunet just assumed it to be an idiot knocking over some of the crates, since that had happened before.

But then a much louder sound reached his ears, a loud clanking noise that echoed all the way through closed doors. He heard someone shreek in fear and recognized it to be from one of his own workers before another voice bellowed over it, the sound low and dangerous and unwillingly making his insides tremble.

 

Because Hiroto recognized that voice.

 

Right when he made the move to get up and run, his partner that had just left came barging in again, quickly slamming the door behind him closed and leaning up against it in an attempt to keep it that way.

 

“Eh, I think there’s someone here to see you! But you should know he’s pretty m-”

‘Mad.’ Hiroto filled in for him as the door flew open, making his partner literally fly away into a bunch of empty crates with a profound yelp.

 

He didn’t check to see how he’d landed, however, since he was unable to tear his eyes away from the condemning ones in front of him.

 

Heiwajima Shizuo came towards him in strides that made him feel like a red cloth to a bull.

 

Too fear-struck to move, Hiroto remained in his spot on the couch and tried to keep his face as passive as possible, though he was sure he was failing miserably.

In the face of such strength aimed at him, he now understood Nasejima’s fear for the man in front of him that one night when their plan had gone to shit.

 

“Where is Izaya?!” The blond asked with raw threath underlining his words, eyes wicked with the promise of pain.

“You better tell me right now unless you want me to rebuild your face!”

 

With remorse for his own pride, Hiroto allowed a whimper of fear pass through his mouth as the other leaned in close and grabbed him roughly by his collar, pulling him upwards.

“I-I have no idea, okay! I was just following orders!” He responded quickly, but the caramel colored eyes did not lessen in there glare.

 

“ _Whose_ orders?!”

 

If his face would still be whole after this, his ears certainly won’t be.

 

Hiroto couldn’t answer the blond’s question, however, since that was the equivalent of signing his own death certificate.

 

Silence was also a bad choice however, as the blond downright headbutted him back into his previous seat, making stars fly in front of his eyes.

 

“If you did anything to him, I swear I’ll-“

 

As the outlines of a fist was flying towards him, Hiroto closed his eyes, bracing himself for the devastating blow.

But it never came.

 

When he opened his eyes, he and the blond were both surprised at the strings of shadow embracing Shizuo’s fist, restraining it.

Behind the blond, something shifted and the brunet’s eyes could only widen at the sight of the appearance of the Headless Rider.

 

He was next to the other ‘monster’ in an instant, holding up his phone for him to read.

[I want to punch his face as much as you do but we need information first.]

He berated the other, whom quickly backed down in demeanor, mumbling a slight apology as Hiroto could only stare in amazement at how the blond obeyed so easily.

 

He then noticed the hissing sound of a cat and was surprised to find it aimed at him, the black creature sitting on The Rider’s shoulder in camouflage, except for its golden eyes glowing at him in dismay.

 

The yellow cat helmet then turned towards him, PDA shoved into his face threateningly.

 

[Tell us where Izaya is or I’ll throw you at the Awakusu-kai’s feet. I’m sure Shiki-san would like to know what you did to his informant.]

He quickly pulled it back before typing another message in furious tempo, the blond next to her slightly bewildered at his companion’s behaviour.

[And I also know someone else who’d be rather interested in this _business_ you’ve got going on as well.]

 

It was then that Hiroto had to make a difficult choice.

To face the wrath of Djinn.

Or to face Haruya Shiki and the Red Demon, not to mention the two monsters in front of him right now…

 

He honestly didn’t know what choice was better, except that by being honest now, he might just save himself some broken bones or perhaps even instant death.

 

“Get me a map.” He wringed out, tone more decisive that he expected of himself.

 

“I’ll show you where they took him.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Untouched red silken sheets, a ‘quiche Lorraine’ still hot from the oven, some fancy red wine from the southern of France and a view to kill.

It wasn’t that Izaya didn’t appreciate such things, but the time and place didn’t quite call for it.

 

What was he doing here? What did Djinn want from him? What was this thing called ‘Zeruan’?

So many questions he could ponder on aimlessly for hours and well, that’s exactly what he did.

 

This room was certainly much nicer than the one he woke up in the first time, however, even if every now and then one of Djinn’s ‘friends’ as he called them, came in to tend to the fireplace.

 

Crimson eyes flicked to the lone piano in the room, this one much simpler and bland than the one downstairs. Izaya had not touched its keys even once in the countless hours he spent sitting there.

 

_“And now I need to find out exactly why you are here…”_

 

He creased his brows at the sentence roaming through his mind.

He was convinced the man was just trying to confuse him on purpose, just acting that he didn’t even know who Izaya was until he was right in front of him.

But now, he was doubtful.

 

If what the man claimed was true, which Izaya really doubted as well, it would mean that he was just following the things that Zeruan had shown him.

So all he had seen was Izaya’s face… without knowing why or for what reason.

 

 

He had to give the man credit for his guts though, just abducting him out of his own house like that, as if it was just an ‘invitation’ to this lone island, seemingly floating in the middle of nowhere.

 

Izaya sighed as he stared out from his balcony, towards the shoreline blinking through the trees in the distance.

He could probably run if he wanted to, but where would he go? He didn’t even know where he was on the world map and he was sure Djinn didn’t want him to know either.

 

One thing was for sure, the man would act like an innocent lamb, carrying an aura of unique charisma around him.

But he was undoubtedly dangerous. Lethal.

 

Izaya could feel it in his bones that if he did not give this man what he wanted, whatever that was, things would not end up in his favour.

 

But there was hardly anything he could do about it.

And he hated it.

 

He was like a bird trapped in a cage, however large it would be.

But unlike the seagulls wavering around the shore, he could not spread out his wings and fly.

 

_“I’m still looking into certain things, that might shine some light onto it all, though they also might not...nevertheless, watch your back, Izaya.”_

Looks like Shinichi had been up to something… maybe he’d even try to warn him right before he got kidnapped…

But of course, Izaya had ignored it, as stubborn as he was…

 

 

It almost felt like a vague dream, as if he were sucked into some surreal universe.

A desolated island, a bunch of masked men and a drug that could show you the path towards happiness.

 

He smirked mockingly at nothing in particular.

 

‘What a load of shit.’ He thought once again, eyes still staring tiredly unto the now setting sun.

 

What did it mean to be happy anyway? Was it not just a state of mind? A spur of the moment thing?

It’s not like you could just achieve happiness and _keep_ it.

That wasn’t how life worked.

And yet, Djinn acted as if it did, as if he had already found it just because he was following whatever some random moonflower ordered him to do.

 

Izaya wasn’t going to lie to himself about it, however.

He _was_ curious.

For some reason, he really just wanted to prove the man wrong, that a simple pill could not hold onto such powers as Djinn claimed it did.

But he would be playing into the man’s hands and that was something he absolutely refused to do.

 

Though he wasn’t really doing a lot better at the moment, however.

Just waiting and sitting until he would find a point where he could grasp the situation a bit better, get a hint at where exactly he was, find a way to talk Djinn into manipulation…

 

But how do you trick a trickster?

 

As he stared out into the sea with the seagull’s cries echoing all over the premises, Izaya wondered if anybody had even noticed his disappearance…

 

His mind flickered back to a certain blond and he was instantly attacked by the stabbing feeling that was guilt, nausea making his hands feel clammy.

 

Guilt for treating Shizuo so childishly, so disgracefully.

So _cowardly._

 

‘Run, run, run…’

 

It was all he had ever known.

 

Control your emotions, or they will control you.

Those were only some of the words he lived by and he had always kept it up, save for a few occasions.

 

Shizuo might not have been the first to shatter his shields, though he had been the first to do it in such a direct and unexpected way, completely catching him off guard.

 

With Shinra, things had gone much more easily and controlled, the idiot had just snuck his way up to him, clinging to him much like a leech would. He always told himself Shinra was just another human like all the rest, not worth any more or any less.

But then that incident with Nakura happened and for the first time, Izaya realised he might not be so ‘in control’ as he thought he was.

 

Sure, he didn’t let it show, hid it all under the guise of being able to use Nakura for his own gains, which he most certainly did.

But he’d be lying if that hadn’t been purely out of vengeance as well.

 

Shizuo of course, was a completely different story.

 

From the moment he’d met him, to the point where he’d nearly been killed by him, the blond always had this overwhelming effect on him, succeeding in drawing out the most genuine of emotions within him, puncturing that imaginary shell that made him so much stronger, that which had always kept him on top of the ladder.

 

But Izaya should’ve known from the start.

 

That you cannot fight feelings.

 

And yet, he fought the man who claimed to hate him at first sight.

Because, at the start, that was exactly what it was.

 

A vicious dynamic of pure, mutual _hatred_.

Bred from nothing but ending up in _everything._

 

Excitement, curiosity, aggressiveness, boldness, foolishness, obsessiveness…

That was how fragile and unstable it was, after all.

It could morph into anything at any time, overthrowing everything he stood for.

 

Because slowly but surely, Izaya realised he might just _feel_ for Shizuo a bit too much.

But whatever that feeling was, he would never admit, not even to himself.

 

Suppressing it, however, only gave birth to other monstrosities.

He’s known that for quite a while as well, as he thought back to those countless nightmares he suffered from.

 

It all came down to one thing though.

If Izaya couldn’t have what he wanted, he would just have to make sure that nobody did.

 

Which gave way to two things.

Either he killed Shizuo.

Or he made him into an actual monster, a murderer. One that would never receive the pure emotion that Izaya had bred within him from anyone else ever again.

 

And he had failed at both of those things.

 

 

He gave a sad sigh as he saw the last of the sun slip below the ocean’s surface, sky turning pink and purple in a breath-taking view.

It made him realise just how tired he was…

 

Voices drew his attention away however, as his eyes immediately followed the sounds to the front gate of the mansion, two people conversing there in the sun’s last shimmering ray.

 

Surprised crimson fell upon hair that carried the colour of the sun’s rays as well as lavender eyes.

 

It seems that things were about to get even more complicated...

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

As the night was nearly upon them, Celty and Shooter raced their way back home, Shizuo on the backseat, Yuki still stable upon her shoulder and also a bundle of her shadows carrying their captive along.

 

[I already let Shinra know so don’t worry about that.] Celty told Shizuo after leaving Shooter in his garage to relax for the day, her shadows carrying Hiroto along, his mouth covered in the dark strings to keep him quiet.

 

The blond just nodded sternly at her, obviously still conflicted about today’s events.

She could tell he just wanted to rush to Izaya as fast as possible and she did share that feeling…

 

But they needed a plan first.

 

When they entered the apartment, however, they were met with a mix of voices.

Celty quickly rushed inside of the living room, surprised at the faces of the ‘New year’s eve team’ sitting there.

 

“Celty! You’re back already!” Shinra came up to her with a concerned smile as the others greeted her and Shizuo as well.

She could instantly tell that the makeshift doctor was bursting with impatience, no doubt wanting to know what the hell was going on with Izaya since the message she’d sent earlier had been rather vague.

Just as his mouth started opening again to surely unleash his questions like a Gatling gun, a curious mewl sounded from beside her left ear.

 

“Oh and who’s this?” The doctor asked as he eyed the cat on her shoulder, Yuki already sniffing Shinra’s hand in cute interest.

[This is Yuki, she’s Izaya’s…We couldn’t just leave her there without care.] She started before she concentrated on the current situation again, turning towards the others sitting in the couch in surprise.

 

“You guys… How come you’re all here?” Shizuo voiced the question she was already starting to type as he pulled off his sunglasses and tucked them neatly into his pocket again.

 

“Shinra texted us and just told us what happened.” Kadota merely explained, Erika nodding beside him with a stern face.

Togusa just sat at the table in a relaxed pose, now staring suspiciously at the bundle of shadows that Celty carried with her as Walker jumped up in joy from his seat, waving his arms about in a lonesome dance.

 

“Finally, it’s guild time again!”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a couple of things that might be enlightening:
> 
> \- Zeruan means 'Heaven' in Basque.  
> \- To my knowledge, Hiroto doesn't know that Celty is female, so he still addresses the Headless Rider with Him/He.  
> \- I've had about 7 years of French lessons but I still suck (and there probably won't be a lot of it but still...) so if you spy a mistake, don't be afraid to point it out :)
> 
> So what do you guys think about the concept of Zeruan? Is it neat? Is it lame? Do you want to slap me? Let me know! :D
> 
> Pretty sure I don't need to say this but please don't put random flowers in your mouth. Because some, if not most of them are actually pretty toxic.
> 
> Thanks for reading, commenting & those delicious kudos <3


	20. The Illusion Of Success

 

 

“Guild time?” Shizuo questioned, pulling a confused face at Walker whom just started nodding frantically.

 

“Half of the _actual_ guild is in America though....” Shinra added in, though appearing thoughtful over the matter.

“Should I let them know anyway?”

 

[If you think I’m involving your dad into this, you’re _wrong_.] Celty added in resolutely, hand on her hip again as her shadows seemed to tremble.

[But I think we should let Izaya's sisters know, perhaps Kine and Manami as well?] She added, Shinra giving a curt nod in agreement.

 

Shizuo then explained to the others what exactly had happened before as Celty went looking for a map, Yuki still happily riding along on her shoulder.

 

“So, this guy here kidnapped Izaya for _another_ guy and he _also_ runs a drug cartel?” Kadota questioned Shizuo as he pointed at Hiroto, whom was still tousled up in a cocoon of shadows, unable to move or speak.

His face spoke the definition of displeasure.

 

“More or less.” The blond responded as he glared at the latter again, whose eyes shied away from his intimidating stare.

“Shouldn’t we go to the police with this?” Togusa questioned next, to which Hiroto started protesting in his restraints as he tried to speak, but only muffled noises reached their ears.

 

They all looked towards Celty next, whom shrugged and promptly removed the shadows binding Hiroto’s mouth. Walker couldn’t suppress the urge to fawn over her powers in awe again, spouting all kinds of nonsense that made zero sense to the irked blond.

 

“The police will only make things worse, don’t involve them into this!” Hiroto spoke desperately as quickly as he could. Celty was in his face before he knew it, however, holding up a map for him to regard.

 

[That’ll be up to us to decide… But first things first! Show us where they took Izaya.]

 

The bespectacled brunet swallowed nervously as he looked around to meet all the hard gazes pointed at him, avoiding Shizuo’s altogether.

 

“There.” He spoke as Celty allowed him to point his finger somewhere in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.

All heads turned to look at said point on the map before they turned back at Hiroto in quick synchronization.

 

“You’re joking, right?”

Togusa asked the guy incredulously while Walker and Erika suddenly pulled out a bag of very, very suspicious looking medical instruments.

 

“Just give us one minute with him and he’ll tell us everything we need to know!” Erika cackled as a dangerous glint shone bright in her eyes, scaring the shit out of both Celty and Shizuo.

 

Hiroto frantically started shaking his head again in response to the threat they posed.

“I swear I’m not lying, it’s a very small island! Most maps don’t even reveal it.”

 

“An island?” A mix of voices questioned.

“We took him there with a helicopter, it’s the only way to reach the place.” Hirito explained further, eyeing the sharp tools in Erika’s hand with fear, though Shizuo’s lethal glare was no less intimidating.

 

“So I take it the guy who ordered you to kidnap Izaya lives there or something?” The blond then asked in a low voice that shook the other’s bones.

“Who is he and what does he want with the Flea?”

 

Hiroto glanced around the room again in doubt, probably trying to think of some way to escape but finding none.

‘What is he so damn afraid of?’ Shizuo wondered, almost as if he didn’t know he was a cause of fear himself.

 

“I already told you more then I should, if I tell you his name I’m dead for sure…I don’t even know what he wants with Orihara either.” The brunet admitted, Togusa frowning at him.

 

“What, is he that dangerous or something?” He mumbled as if he weren’t impressed by the fear on Hiroto’s face at all.

 

Then a laugh, slightly crazed with words that laced pity came from the captive brunet’s mouth.

“You guys have no idea…”

 

Shizuo was getting really tired of all this beating around the bush-play.

 

“Then _give_ us an idea.” He growled as he stepped closer to Hiroto once more, who tried but couldn’t flinch away from him.

“Or am I not enough of a monster for you to make you fear for your life?”

 

Hiroto gave a sad smile as he sighed.

 

“Look, you don’t understand. If I tell you, your lives are just as much in danger as mine. This man _wants_ to be a mystery, _wants_ to remain unknown.” He started as he looked all of them in the eye with a threatening seriousness.

“Those who’ve seen him or know but a little thing about him are very scarce… once you step out of line or turn traitor, he disposes of you.”

 

Their eyes widened at the words and the heartlessness they depicted.

Celty tensed up visibly before she resumed to typing hastily again, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

 

[This man you speak of…did he have anything to do with New year’s eve?] She asked straight out to Hiroto, whose eyes widened in surprise, though he remained silent.

[Did he have anything to do with Nakura?!] Celty tried again, a bit more forcefully so and then her association clicked in Shizuo’s head.

Hiroto’s eyes were pointed everywhere but at the screen however, not going in on her question.

 

It was a dead giveaway.

 

“Well?!” Shizuo started yelling at the now panicking brunet.

“Tell us!” He bellowed once more, another threatening step forwards finally emitting the “Yes!” that was squeaked out from evading eyes.

 

Even though they finally had an answer, an association, everyone froze for a moment.

 

“Are you for real right now?” Togusa came again as if he were not believing his own ears.

“The guy who kidnapped Izaya is the guy that tried to BLOW IKEBUKURO TO SHIT?”

 

As they all started discussing the link to the past event, Shizuo was lost for a moment, eyes shading over with nothing but anger.

 

He didn’t like this.

He didn’t like this _at all._

Just what did that man want with Izaya? Did he find out who sabotaged his plans? Was he out for revenge?

 

“Do you now see how dangerous he is?” Hiroto started quietly again, summoning another silence as everyone listened.

 

“So please, don’t go messing with him. You’ll find nothing but death waiting for you there.” He warned again but it was in vain.

 

Right before Shizuo or Celty could retaliate however, Shinra suddenly stepped up, an angry frown marring his face.

 

“If you think we’ll let this guy, this _coward_ who disposes of people like that take our friend away from us then you are wrong.” He spoke determinedly, surprising everyone in the room with his uncharacteristic seriousness.

 

“We will get Izaya back, no matter what.”

 

And at those words, Shizuo couldn’t help but smile in agreement.

 

“Damn right we will!” The entire van gang nodded along with Kadota’s words as Celty gave Shinra a sudden prideful hug that the doctor didn’t see coming at all, successfully bringing back that stupid grin on his face.

 

Hiroto though, was just speechless at the scene before him, face depicting disbelief.

 

Perhaps he was wondering where an insect like Izaya had found such friends…

And in the past, Shizuo would’ve been just as surprised.

 

Then the doorbell rang and Shinra immediately went to open it, but it was hardly processed by the blond’s mind.

 

His thoughts brought him back to the amazing evening he shared with Izaya, to the hurtful words he'd had spoken just the day after… and now, who knew what had happened to the Flea during this time…

What if…

 

[Hey, it’ll be okay.]

Ah, there was Celty again, trying to sooth his mind.

[It’s _Izaya_ , he won’t go down that easily.]

 

Forcing a smile on his face, Shizuo merely nodded at her, _praying_ that she was right.

 

He tried not to remember how easy it was to overpower Izaya once you caught a hold of him, his sly agility surely being his forte.

Though that wasn’t the only one the raven had.

 

“Looks like I’m late to the party.” A suave voice suddenly entered the room and soon enough, mocha eyes landed on red hair and a fancy suit.

 

“Akabayashi-san!” Walker called out in greeting with a smile as he came up to shake the man’s hand in surprising politeness.

 

“Evening!” The Red Demon greeted back as he nodded at everyone, eyes lingering on Shizuo a tad longer, smirk turning just a bit wider for some reason “It’s been a while hasn’t it…”

 

“So, Celty told me she caught a little rat in her net of shadows… and Orihara-san is caught in a pinch hm...” He continued as he neared their captive, whom had a very frantic look in his eyes at the sight the Red Demon of the Awakusu-kai.

 

“I thought I made it pretty clear I don’t appreciate your little gimmicks in this city, Shijima-kun…”

 

At the sight of Hiroto literally shaking in fear, Shizuo was really glad he never even thought about drug-dealing in his younger days.

 

“How will we get to that island though? I guess we need a helicopter of our own…” Kadota then brought up, pulling the team’s attention to him before going into a thinking spree.

Because, well…

Where the hell where they supposed to get a freaking helicopter?

 

Celty suddenly seemed to come up with an idea as she started typing furiously again, Yuki momentarily startled by the sudden jolt.

 

[I think I know a place…]

 

“Okay…” Togusa drawled out in suspicion at her vague answer and her shoulders that seemed to shake with giggles before he addressed the next problem they still faced.

“But who’s going to fly it?”

 

Well…Shizuo wasn’t sure if any of them could actually fly a helicopter until the oldest member surprised them all.

 

“I think I can help out with that.” Akabayashi winked at them, Celty appearing very happy at his statement.

 

Shinra set loose another smile as well, that shimmer of confidence shining brightly again.

 

“You hear that Orihara-kun? You better wait for us in one piece or else I’ll show everyone that picture of you sleeping on Shizuo-kun’s lap!” The doctor shamelessly yelled throughout the apartment.

“Hey!” Shizuo immediately yelled in embarrassment as Erika’s eyes sparkled like a predator before she immediately begged the doctor for said picture.

Celty and Kadota just facepalmed on the sideline as Akabayashi and Walker went back to torture Hiroto with more creative threats.

 

Shizuo decided to take a little moment for himself amidst the burst of energy in the living room as he went out to the balcony, lighting his cigarette as he stared into the city’s hypnotizing lights underneath the dark sky.

 

One thing was for sure.

 

This was going to one hell of a journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky changed from obsidian to cerulean as the sun rose again, nature awakening to face another day.

Izaya did not get the chance to awake that gently, however because his host apparently enjoyed ‘surprise’ morning greetings.

 

“Rise and shine mon petit corbeau!” The man all but barged in, hands up in the air as he were some sort of priest to bring him his blessing for the day.

 

Izaya jittered awake in half-shock, almost falling forward out of his chair as he caught himself right on time on the windowsill.

 

“Izaya-san, don’t tell me you fell asleep while staring off into the dreamy view outside?” Djinn asked a bit perplexed. “Because well…I can totally understand.”

 

Izaya just stared at the man with a stare that spoke annoyance, though he was surprised at himself falling asleep like that. He hadn’t expected to close a single eye in the slightest.

 

“What I don’t understand though, is that you left _this_ to go to waste!” The man outed dramatically as he pointed at the dinner that was left untouched.

 

“Not a fan of Quiche maybe? Should I get you some croissants? Fresh from the oven!”

 

Did this guy ever run out of energy?

 

“No thanks.” Izaya merely mumbled in response, despite the fact he was actually pretty hungry.

He was not going to risk that drug entering his system through _any_ means whatsoever.

 

Djinn just stared at him again, amused and calculating, making Izaya feel harassed in some way.

It was like this man was trying to crawl underneath his skin with that impeccable blue gaze of his.

 

“Hm, still so stubborn…I was hoping you’d have warmed up to me just a _little_ bit by now.” He started again with his hands on his hips like some scolding mother.

‘Hope some more.’ Izaya’s thoughts rang defiantly but his mouth outed different words.

 

“You still haven’t told me what you want from me.” He merely returned, keeping his voice as monotonous as it could.

 

Djinn’s eyes lit up in surprise at his words.

“That’s true! How rude of me.” He chirped, words laced with apology that held way too much sincerity.

 

The snake then waltzed off to the piano, checking its top surface for dust with one finger as he continued in a joyful tone.

 

“All I want is for us is to be allies, _partners,_ if you will.”

 

Izaya raised a confused eyebrow at him, not missed by the azure gleam.

 

“You and me, working together to ensure that both of our goals come true.” Djinn continued seriously and with that touch of aspiration as he swept himself behind the keys, poking at them randomly.

“With _your_ knowledge and skills concerning gathering people’s intel and _my_ resources, just imagine how fast we can develop Zeruan into its best version, into something that can be made available for _every_ human being?”

 

Izaya was taken aback by the genuineness of the man’s words, the glance of attaining a dream in his eyes as he started playing ‘Moonlight Sonata’ in perfect coordination.

 

“Of course, in exchange, I’m offering you a chance at meeting and observing individuals you could only dream of. Because I know how much human interaction interests you, Izaya-san.”

 

A knowing glance was thrown his way again and Izaya felt like he was made out of glass again, as if the other could look right into his mind.

Or rather, the mind of his old self perhaps?

 

“Certainly you would like to see just what people might do after seeing their path to happiness? How they will respond to Zeruan’s promise in the first place? Will they jump on the wagon, follow like sheep? Will they abstain and deny its effects like you do?”

 

Izaya scoffed slightly at the jab with a smirk.

 

“It’s all so very interesting is it not?”

 

True, Izaya could not deny that it was.

And what scared him even more was that if he _had_ been his old self right now, he probably wouldn’t even have hesitated to accept Djinn’s offer…

 

Because back then all he cared about was humans and every little detail about them.

Observing them, playing with them, _loving_ them.

 

He took a moment to align his thoughts, crimson steeling for his next words.

 

“What if that’s not what I want… What if that changed?” Izaya fired off at the man, whom barked a laugh at it, though not faltering in his movements across the ebony and ivory.

 

“What’s that saying? A leopard does not change its spots?” He quipped cheekily.

“Or perhaps in your case, I should say a raven cannot change its feathers.” The man remarked, eerily continuing his sonata.

“That city is as much as a cage for you as this island is, you, even if you don’t realise that…”

 

Frowning, Izaya just glared at the man again in disagreement.

 

“In any case,” Djinn continued just as happily. “It is _why_ I want you to take Zeruan and then we’ll see what the verdict is now won’t we?”

 

That thing really was the answer to all of this man’s questions, now wasn’t it?

Djinn only got a vacant expression that lacked all enthusiasm in return, however.

 

“What if it shows me something entirely else then what you expect?” Izaya played along, smirking into the words, wondering what the man was going to do if things did not go according to plan.

 

“Hmmm” Djinn merely mused.

“I guess that also remains to be seen.”

 

And there it was again, that dangerous glint in his eyes that made the man the snake that he was.

 

“But let’s not be pessimistic, shall we?” He continued, finishing up his song with a final chord that gently resonated through the room.

 

“It’s such a beautiful day, after all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kuzuhara Kinnosuke was a cop who did _not_ fuck around, especially when it came to following the law.

It was his lifeline, it basked at the base of his entire kingdom.

 

Well, except for his sons. He really loved his sons.

Oh and his wife, definitely his wife.

 

But still! Once he put on his uniform, the law on the street was all that mattered.

Every day he would come across challenges, big and small. None he would pass up on.

 

Not even a raving party of thieves trying to escape by a stolen Bugatti on the highway.

 

“Sir, we’re losing them!” One of his colleagues yelled through the radio, but Kinnosuke would not let up, speeding up his motorcycle even more, sirens blazing through the air.

“We need to cut them off somehow, what’s the roadblock team doing for fuck sake!?”

“They’re on another case, sir!”

 

He grinded his teeth as hard as he could without actually breaking them on top of each other.

 

“Fine, then call in the chopper!” He commanded as he tried to keep eyes on his prey that was quickly disappearing behind the countless vehicles on the road.

 

“Uh…Sir, I think we’ve got a problem.” The answer resounded through his helmet not even ten seconds later.

 

“What is it now?!”

 

“It’s the helicopter sir, it’s…it’s gone.”

 

…

 

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN IT’S GONE?!”

 

 

And so, Kinnosuke kept chasing the thieves until they got a good look at his overly wicked face, surely giving them nightmares for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where’d you get the chopper Celty?” Kadota questioned her curiously as they flew off into the ocean on said machine.

[Oh, from a _very_ good friend of mine.] She returned smugly as her shoulders shook with her giggling, eyebrows raising at her in suspicion.

 

“…”

 

“You let Shooter eat the police’s chopper didn’t you?” Shinra just asked with a knowing smile as Celty shrugged.

[He was _very_ hungry.]

The dead-panned stare she received just made her giggle again.

 

“Hey, at least this way we won’t need to refuel.”

Togusa had a good point there, Shinra had to admit.

 

With the map laid out in front of them and the weather being calm, sky clear and cloudless, they made their way to the island Hiroto had spoken of.

 

If he hadn’t been lying, of course.

 

They’d left him with the Awakusu-kai for now, Shiki more than happy to keep him as a ‘hostage’ until he got his informant back.

 

Shinra’s mind was focused on his lost friend, however, who’d returned to him in glued-together pieces, only to be taken again by some random guy that nobody knew a thing about, except that he dealt in drugs…

 

Izaya really lured the strangest type of people into his life, didn’t he?

 

Shizuo had dropped off Yuki at his brother’s place until they’d be back, since the cat could not just stay at their place without any supervision. Celty did seem to like the nocturnal creature for some reason.

It was strange how gentle she could be, how _human_ , though it only added to her beauty, in Shinra’s opinion.

 

They flew across the grey waves for hours on end, Akayashi whistling to his heart’s content as he worked together with Shooter to ensure a stable flight.

 

Erika had asked the underground doctor for that picture of Shizuo and Izaya more than 20 times already but Kadota and Togusa were, luckily, always able keep her lustful fangs in check.

 

Celty, as well as Shizuo both stared quitely into the endless view that was water and air, sometimes interrupted by a flock of seabirds passing through unperturbed by Shooter’s odd appearance.

 

It was obvious they were both worried sick, Shizuo surely so.

Shinra wasn’t sure if it was due to his friends being so near or just for his own sake that he was trying to stay so strong, so uncharacteristically calm.

 

Shinra was no different though, he kept up his cheerfulness that everybody knew him for but it was merely a charade at the moment.

Because just like them, though perhaps for different reasons, he did not want to lose Izaya.

 

Besides Shizuo, Izaya had been the first ‘human’ to accept him for who he was even though he didn’t have too.

Others would look upon them as having an atypical friendship and that wasn’t incorrect at all, but Shinra was not just another human plaything to Izaya, even if the latter wanted to give that impression.

 

It was blatantly obvious to him that Izaya could _not_ treat him like any other person he came across ,and secretly, he really did enjoy that.

And perhaps it was because of that bond, of that connection, that Izaya had actually _listened_ to him that day when he’d escaped from between death’s snapping jaws.

 

Yes, even if Izaya would never admit it, Shinra was dear to him, much like his sisters were.

 

And Shinra might not be a dullahan, might not have impeccable strength, might not be a well-known member of the Yakuza or might not lead a team filled with dangerous, skilled individuals.

 

But he sure as hell wouldn’t turn back from saving his friend, even if he ended up being useless.

 

Another hand encircled his own, lacing in with his thoughts as he smiled at his one and only.

 

[You don’t have to act so tough…we’re all worried, after all.]

 

He couldn’t help but smile at her words, sincerely this time, taking both her hands into his own lovingly.

“You know I can’t help it… I need to be strong for you, don’t I?” He joked at her, to which she shook her head, probably calling him a moron in her mind.

 

He saw Shizuo give a little sideways smile at them, before he focused somewhere into the distance, pupils narrowing and mouth turned down in concentration as his blond hair waved violently with the wind.

 

“I think we’re nearing something kiddos!” Akabayashi called from the front, summoning everybody to the front window as they stared at the little green dot in the distance with their head mash together.

 

“I guess I should say: Prepare yourselves?”

 

Ah, indeed.

 

But what exactly they had to prepare themselves for was yet to be seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Djinn had visited many places in his life.

 

He was one of those people who could say “I’ve seen the world.”

A man who could say “I’ve seen a great many things. Some of them, I’d rather not have seen.”

But it was due to those specific, unpleasant things that he had come this far, that he had discovered the path he was walking now.

 

It made him wonder, did not _everyone_ need some sort of tainted, tragic event to take place during their lives, just so you could find that deeper part, that deeper _meaning_ in the life that was your own?

 

Because however sad it was, your worst mistakes, your biggest failures, teach you the most about yourself.

 

Though, here was this man, the man he’d waited to meet for so long, whom had undoubtedly made lots of mistakes in his life even if he dared not admit it.

 

Oh yes, Djinn recognized pathological levels of pride and self-control within a person almost instantly.

How could he not?

He was once very much the same.

 

Yet Orihara Izaya seemed to live a life of contradictions.

 

Some praised him beyond belief, some wished him the most painful death that was possible.

Some said he was charming, kind and polite, others said that he was manipulative, acted spoiled, childish and was downright evil to the core of his heartless existence.

 

Working as an information broker might bring across such different opinions on one person, however.

Sometimes there are hearts to be broken and deals to be won.

That was just the way life- No, society seemed to work sometimes.

 

But Orihara Izaya was not just an ordinary information broker, he extended far and well beyond that, often using his knowledge and skills for things he never made any materialistic ‘gains’ from.

But it was those things that made him the dangerous, feared man that he was, wasn’t it?

 

Finding information on the raven in the past year and a half turned out to be very fruitless, however.

Because well, as Hiroto had claimed, the informant had been proclaimed ‘dead’ at a certain point.

 

And from that _point_ on out, Orihara Izaya seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

 

Until, of course, he interrupted his plans as if destiny graciously put it that way.

But destiny was also unkind sometimes.

 

Djinn had hoped that the man carrying those gemstone eyes from his dreams would be a bit more… _willing_ to cooperate with him.

But Izaya wasn’t interested in the least, was not all that amused like Djinn had perceived him to be…

 

He had to admit, that was rather anti-climactic after so many years of waiting.

 

But he would persevere.

 

Because Zeruan was _never_ wrong. Zeruan _never_ lied.

And if he started doubting that, starting thinking that he might be living a life where his success was only an illusion, he might as well call everything up till now a lie.

 

So he would reap on through, feasting on that conflicted gaze he caught every now and then in those crimson eyes, reflecting that proof of the Orihara Izaya that he’d read so much about burst through in mere flickers.

 

To say that he didn’t want to just force the man down, stick Zeruan down his throat and get it over and done with, would be a lie.

 

But patience was a virtue, and so was his promise to Lucy.

And that was the last thing he would ever break…

 

 

“Excusez moi, monsieur Djinn.”

The adressed continued to pet the petals of the freshly grown flower as he turned around to meet Jacques with a gentle gaze.

 

“Il y a quelque chose méfiant sur le radar.”

 

The news surprised him only a little bit.

Of course, someone like Orihara Izaya would have ‘allies’ to come and fetch him, even if he hadn’t really read about them in his papers, except for the Yakuza that was.

 

But Djinn wasn’t planning on surrendering him over to anyone in any case, not even to the Queen of England.

 

“On y va.” He replied with a sigh, releasing the flower and smelling its lovely aroma one more time before they headed back to the mansion.

 

 

Perhaps this was a good moment to test the towers again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes:  
> \- 'Mon petit corbeau' means My little raven (Hehehehe).  
> \- Who is Lucy? That is yet to come, my friend.  
> \- What is a croissant? My biggest sin. Wait no, that's chocolate.
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


	21. Raise You Like A Phoenix

 

 

One moment they were nearing the little patch of green that slowly started to shape into a mix of trees, grey structures, beaches and some weird looking towers.

The next, a freaking _missile_ was flying their way.

 

“Holy fucking shit!”

 

It might’ve been Togusa who yelled that, Shizuo wasn’t sure because his own thoughts resonated with the sound, very much agreeing as Akabayashi swooped Shooter right passed the incoming danger, evading it by mere inches as Erika screeched in panic as they nearly bounced all over the place.

Walker just caught her in his arms as he howled with excitement.

The thing blew up in the sky a good distance away from them but the sound was no less deafening.

 

“What the fuck was that!” Kadota exclaimed, still abashed as he straightened his beanie.

[It must be coming from those towers!] Celty typed quickly as a new missile was already being launched in the distance.

 

As they all braced themselves again, Shooter started to shake incredibly underneath Shizuo’s touch on the helicopter’s frame.

“Easy Horsey, easy.” Akabayashi shushed him soothingly as he skilfully manoeuvred the helicopter around the missile again, eliciting another bright cheer from Walker.

 

Despite the dangerous situation, they kept advancing towards the island but before they could focus on finding a good landing spot a voice echoed through the sky.

 

 **“Go away!”** A man’s voice sounded as if he were chasing a dog from his porch.

**“Come on, Shoo!”**

 

When they kept advancing, however, two missiles were suddenly launched at them simultaneously, making Shizuo cringe his teeth as he held on to Shooter in confidence.

 

“Is this guy for real?” Erika asked incredulously as she held onto Walker again in comfort.

“He’s nuts…” Togusa answered with a face that spoke nightmares.

 

Well, they could all agree on that.

 

“Yeah, Hiroto wasn’t kidding…” Kadota responded with a frown of his own as also watched the missiles nearing them again with wide eyes.

 

“Alright here we go, brace yourselves!” Akabayashi yelled as he evaded the first rocket again with no sweat, the second however, was rapidly approaching them right in the face.

“Celty!” Shizuo yelled as the Dullahan nodded resiliently in response.

She immediatly summoned an enormous mass of shadows that acted as a net, successfully catching the speeding rocket into it as they were elongated into a cone and for a moment Shizuo thought the shadows wouldn’t be strong enough to restrain it but then, to everyone’s surprise, it flung the missile back in full force like a sling, firing it back to where it came from.

Needless to say, the explosion at the top of the tower was no less impressive, a big blaze of fire and smoke surely annihilating at least one of those missile-shooting…things.

 

“That was fucking awesome!”

 

“ **MERDE!”** The voice on the island cried out in disagreement.

Looks like someone's pissed off...

 

**“Do you guys have any idea how expensive that was? So rude!”**

_They_ were rude?

Right.

 

“Celty, are you alright?” Shinra asked his lover worriedly as Celty stumbled slightly against Shooter’s frame, Shizuo immediately coming to her aid as well.

 

[That took a lot out of me…not sure how many I can handle…] She typed a bit weakly.

[Also, that _thing_ is here…it feels familiar, I don’t know what it is but it’s spooking me as well as Shooter…]

 

They frowned at her words, grey and mocha meeting each other before the latter steeled.

 

“This is too dangerous…We don’t know how much more he can fire at us and neither do we know what this _thing_ is…” Shizuo spoke to them all.

 

“I’m going on by myself… I probably have the best chance at handling him anyway.”

 

The confident words brought out surprised faces as well as worried ones.

“Oh my, a true protagonist move, Shizuo-kun!” Walker just cried as Erika preferred to call him a ‘Prince on the white horse’.

Though he was sure Izaya was no princess...

 

[I can’t let you go alone! Who knows what else he is capable of!] Celty immediately retaliated while Shinra was rendered speechless, Shooter neighed along in dismay as the helicopter shook again.

 

“Celty, you know I can’t risk your safety… just stay at a secure distance, be prepared for when we return.”

Shizuo commanded back at her however, though she didn’t seem too happy with it.

 

“At least take this along.” Akabayashi interrupted their little spout with a smirk as he dodged another rocket like it was a mere bird before throwing the blond a tiny knob.

Shizuo recognized it as an earpiece once he observed it in his large hands.

“Awakusu-kai’s treat, so we stay in touch.” He winked at the blond before focusing on the wide view in front of him again.

 

Celty still seemed a bit pissed though, crossing her arms as she regarded him in displeasure.

“I promise I’ll be careful?” Shizuo tried, to which the Dullahan shook her head and Shinra just smiled again.

 

She finally gave up as she slumped with a sigh.

[Take these too… you never know what you need them for.] She typed to him before making two black gloves appear out of her shadows, Shizuo recognizing them as the ones he borrowed for the Saika incident from years ago.

 

“Thanks.” He returned with a warm smile, tucking them into his pockets as the helicopter swayed from left to right again.

“We’re coming as soon as we see an opening,” Kadota told Shizuo with a confident stare “Can’t let you have all the fame after all.”

 

Shizuo merely grinned back at him before nodding as he gave a little pat to the helicopter’s frame.

 

“Take care of them, Shooter!”

 

And then, without thinking twice, he jumped right down into the watery abyss.

Right before he hit the waves, Shooter’s confident neigh reached his ears.

 

The water claimed him only briefly before it spat him right back out and Shizuo snatched his lungs full of air.

 

‘I’m coming, Izaya.’ His thoughts rung determinately as he swam towards the shore in godlike speed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Djinn-sama will arrive shortly, Izaya-san.” The masked man spoke like a true host, before he bowed and left him all by himself again.

This one’s Japanese was a lot more sophisticated, it made Izaya wonder just how many people Djinn had under his wing here, not to mention from what places…

 

He glanced around in the familiar chess-room. Stuck waiting once more.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Until he heard an explosion go off in the sky.

 

Sadly, there were no windows in this room, nor could he just go out to check for one in another…Djinn’s ‘friends’ were surely making sure he’d stay put.

 

Mixed flickers of hope and fear bloomed from within him as he heard more noises of destruction go off in the far distance as he heard the snake’s voice shout something he couldn’t quite understand from outside off the walls.

It sounded like he was ushering something to leave…

 

Izaya’s brows furrowed in a crease as he imagined the man shooting rockets at annoying birds or something…

He wouldn’t really put it past the man…

 

He wondered if Djinn had beef with anyone though, seeing as he owned so much. Rich men usually had enough enemies to go by, some even dressed as allies perhaps.

But the snake wasn’t _well known_ at all…

 

Maybe, just maybe…

Someone had come for _him_?

 

Faces flashed past his eyes of the people he’d grown closer to in the last weeks.

But would they really go to these lengths for him?

For someone like him?

 

Another explosion sounded though this one much, much closer, shaking the floor ever so slightly as the tremor ran up all the way to his skull.

Izaya swore he just heard something collapse as the quake shook his bones.

 

His thoughts were confirmed as he heard Djinn curse out in French, a smirk creeping on Izaya's lips as he sat himself down on the chair next to the fire again.

He couldn’t help but wonder…

 

 _If_ his friends had come for him.

Would Shizuo be with them?

 

A flicker of metal to the side pulled his attention away momentarily as his eyes focused in.

A little more than surprised, Izaya realised the gleam of metal belonged to a revolver, just lying there out in the open on a small cabinet next to a pile of stacked paintings.

 

As curious as he was, he neared it slowly, glancing around if there wasn’t anyone near, just in case.

He recognized it to be some sort of old Colt, though it’s shape was slightly diverse, decorated with golden parts, most likely personalised…

 

One step closer, however, and a strange feeling dawned on him.

The feeling that someone was looking at him, watching his every move.

Checking once again, Izaya subtly roamed his eyes around the room, scanning past the edges of all the ornaments residing in it, finding no culprit.

 

His eyes were drawn to the gun again and as crimson fell upon it, it was like something was meeting his gaze.

 

This thing…

 

Was it…watching him?

 

As if in a trance, his hand moved on itself, reaching for the revolver that seemed to gleam in anticipation.

 

“He who overlooks the crowd!” Djinn suddenly barged in, greeting Izaya rather dramatically as the door flew open.

The man didn’t seem to notice how Izaya’s hand had just retracted from the lethal weapon faster than lightning.

 

“I have to say, your parents went real original with your name there, very interesting.”

 

Izaya just stared at him with an eyebrows raised.

The man didn’t seem to realise or just not care that Izaya was inches away from a _gun_ , able to pick it up in a moment’s breathe…

 

Something told Izaya that the man wouldn’t even be threatened with a gun aimed at him, lest by someone who would never be able to kill a human being.

But would Djinn know that about him though?

 

“Oh, I see you’ve met Lucy!” The man _then_ seemed to realised that that he’d left a freaking gun laying around as he picked it up, holding it lovingly in his hands.

 

‘Lucy?’

What was it with people and giving names to inanimate things?

…or was it?

 

“I hope she didn’t try to mesmerise you, she’s really good at that you see, she loves to be held.” The man spoke as if the gun were some sort of kitten…

“It’s a good thing I brought her along though, I believe she’s the one to keep that Dullahan that’s so keen on ‘saving’ you at bay.”

 

‘Celty…’ Izaya’s thoughts rang immediately as he rose another eyebrow at Djinn.

 

“What do you mean by that?” He asked curiously as the snake put ‘Lucy’ away in the holster on his belt.

 

“She’s pretty special by herself, not to mention her bullets are laced with pure gold.” Djinn just explained as if lecturing a class.

“Your ‘friends’ might’ve come prepared, Izaya-san, but so am I.” He spoke next with a smile, cutting through Izaya’s frown that fell down in displeasure.

 

Dullahans have an irrational fear for gold, or so the legend says.

Was it lethal? Izaya did not know, but he didn’t exactly feel like finding out right now…

 

“Djinn-san, you require my attention?” Another voice chimed in from behind Djinn that settled a certain cold on Izaya’s skin.

For it belonged to none other than the woman who had once been a mere second away from ending his life, from erasing his existence…

The one he’d surrendered to, in the end…

 

“Ah Vorona-chan! Oh yes, sweetheart, I sure did, it seems some crazy people are attacking the island so I need you to stay on standby in case you’re needed, okay?” Djinn answered her in a gentle tone, as if he wasn’t just asking her to go and _kill_ someone.

 

The blonde nodded curtly at Djinn before glancing passed him involuntarily and so lavender meet crimson in honest surprise that she was barely able to hide.

If Djinn knew about her and Izaya’s past dealings, he didn’t let it show, he seemed rather pressed instead.

 

“Ah, time to go now! To HQ!” The man announced rather childishly before he grabbed at Izaya’s sleeve out of nowhere and dragged him towards the door, nearly making him stumble as it was his turn to be surprised.

As they left the room, Izaya couldn’t help but throw a look back over his shoulder at the assassin, a frown covering her face in confusion, though she did not speak nor follow them.

 

He then patted Djinn’s hand away, accompanied by a glare as the other just waved his hands in apology.

This guy seemed way to excited for having his island ‘attacked’.

 

Headquarters turned out to be in the mansion basement, though Izaya realised it was going to be in a different setting the moment he set foot in an elevator that looked rather futuristic, not fitting the old mansion’s picture at all.

 

“Obviously, I had to build this part till _after_ we came to this island.” Djinn said as they stepped out and pointed around him, as if all the high tech apparel wasn’t in clear sight.

They entered a large room, formed like a cove, several big screens hung up on the walls with panels underneath them, Djinn’s associates battering their fingers away.

 

“They backed off sir, but one of them jumped out of the helicopter and is swimming towards the island...” One came up to them immediately to report.

 

“Jumped out of the helicopter?!” Djinn asked in amazement that Izaya couldn’t tell was false or honest.

“Swimming all the way here?!”

 

Djinn swiftly regained his composure as he clicked his tongue.

 

“That’s pretty impressive.”

 

Then the camera on the big middle screen showed just who it was that had jumped out from the chopper, swimming through the water with the speed of a dolphin.

Izaya couldn’t believe his own eyes at the sight.

 

“Hmmm, blond hair, bartender suit, swims at the speed of a motorboat…wait it doesn't say that here yet…”

 

Izaya hardly registered the snake’s words as he  absent-mindedly edged closer to the screen , eyes focused on that dot in the ocean.

 

“Yep, that’s probably this guy right here.” Djinn continued as he pointed to somewhere in his stack of papers that he’d pulled out from nowhere, the name he spoke next in synchrony with Izaya’s thoughts.

 

“Heiwajima Shizuo.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sound of Shooter’s blades slicing through the air was just a mere flurry now as Shizuo embarked upon one of the island’s beaches.

 

He was grabbing at sand before he expected it, pulling his body out of the water as he rose onto the sun-blinking shore of the island.

He shook his head in his typical dog-maneuver, scattering water droplets all around him. Some random seagulls shuffled away in the process, cawing at his appearance in annoyance.

He merely gave them one stare before they promptly shut up, deciding to take a nice flight instead.

 

Shizuo gave an exasperated sigh as he watched the sight before him, nothing but trees piled up, blocking the sight.

 

“Shizuo, can you hear us?”

 

The sudden voice popping up in his left ear nearly made him jump out of his skin before he remembered it came from the earpiece. Good thing it was water-resistant…

“Yeah?” He tried, not sure if he should push a button or something before they could hear him…

“Good!”

 

Shinra sounded way to happy concerning the situation…

 

“Can you guys see anything because I ain’t seeing shit because of all these damn trees.” The blond responded roughly as he started his besieging pace into the foliage, dragging his wet shoes through the sand without giving a single care.

He really should’ve switched his outfit before going on this mission though.

He’ll have to explain things to Kasuka later…

 

“Erika’s got the binoculars.”

 

Of course she does.

 

“She says there’s this building in front of you if you go on for a bit more, maybe it’s worth checking out?”

 

It better fucking be because as Shinra said the words, a grey wall popped out before him, too tall to climb or just jump over however. He paced its sides, trying to find an entrance.

Right before his patience ran out and he was about to make a freaking door himself, his keen eyes spied the entryway.

 

“I’m going in.” He spoke to the others as he reached for the door handle.

“Sweet, be careful!” They yelled back into his sensitive ear as he pushed the door open carefully, poking his head inside. There was nothing much to see however, since the whole place was dark inside.

He entered it nonetheless, as much as he was suspicious, there was no fear to be found in Shizuo’s entire being.

His overzealousness made him run into something, however and right as he cursed at the object pricking him in his thigh, a light flickered on at the ceiling.

 

It was round and shone a silverfish blue that oozed tranquillity, like it was made for lullabies.

Yes, much like a makeshift moon perhaps...

 

Shizuo then noticed he’d run into a table of sorts, on it some very strange looking flowers, its petals had the colour of the night itself and were closed tightly in a knob.

Once the light reached them like dust dropping coming to rest on the floor, one of them popped open swiftly as it seemed to absorb the strange moonlight.

 

Then another one popped open and another and suddenly Shizuo’s sight couldn’t follow the countless flowers that revealed their core in quick succession.

As far as his sight could reach in the silvery shade, he could only stare at the countless tables, all covered with the peculiar flowers.

 

“So, anything special?” Shinra asked him curiously.

 

“Uh,” The blond replied rather unintelligently. “It’s just a bunch of flowers, really.”

“Flowers?” The doctor responded, sounding confused.

“Are they pretty?!”

“Do they have special powers?”

 

That would be both Erika and Walker in the background, asking the _important_ questions.

Shizuo just sighed in annoyance.

 

He couldn’t deny that the sight was beautiful but frankly, he had no time to stare in awe any longer, so he marched along, passing by all the flowers on his left and right as some late bloomers still cracked open.

 

Soon enough, another door appeared at the end, to his surprise he ended up outside again, the evening sun still bright enough to elicit a hiss from the pain to his eyes at the sudden light.

 

When he removed his arm from his line of sight, he nearly jumped in surprise again as he found his own mocha eyes staring back at him.

In fact, everywhere around him, he would meet his own face as he glanced around.

 

As he stepped past his own reflections, he quickly apprehended the place he had just entered.

 

From a ‘flower-farm’ straight into a maze of mirrors.

Just fucking great.

 

“Heiwajima Shizuo!” His name was suddenly barked at him as he immediately turned around towards it.

“I don’t really like having uninvited guests…but I suppose I should say ‘welcome’ anyway because I’m a nice guy, you see.”

 

Shizuo couldn’t exactly see where the voice was coming from but he was more distracted by the cheeriness about the man’s words.

There was something off about his accent ass well…

 

“So I suppose you’re here for your ‘Bean sprout’ right?”

 

A crease formed between his eyes.

What the fuck was this guy saying?

 

“Flea? Mite? Insect? I’m pretty sure Bean sprout was in there too, let me check.”

Then came the ruffle of papers, the thoughtful humming and Shizuo’s growing anger concerning the man on the other line of the speakers.

 

“Yeah, see, it’s right here, I’ve got a legit source you know!” The man called out joyfully before something in Shizuo cracked like a branch breaking in two.

 

“Who the fuck are you? What do you want with Izaya?” The blond grumbled dangerously low.

 

“Oh, my apologies, how rude of me!” The other merely replied in the most obnoxious apology Shizuo’s ever heard.

 

“My name is Djinn and well…that’s a secret, really.”

 

Was this guy kidding?

Was this guy _fucking_ kidding him?

 

“I’ll tell you what, maybe if you find your way out of that maze, I’ll give you a little hint?”

 

Okay, this guy really _was_ fucking kidding him.

 

“I don’t have time to play your stupid games!” Shizuo yelled back rather defiantly, near ready to punch this guy in the face if only it could reach.

 

“You don’t have much of a choice, I’m afraid…” Djinn answered him in false pity before a tiny yet malicious chuckle came next.

 

“But hey, the ‘Flea’ has got a nice face, if you know what I mean.”

 

And then Shizuo’s vision blurred red at the edges, a spike of bloodlust breaking into his voice.

 

“If you did anything to him, I’ll-“

“You’ll what? Come and get me?” Djinn interrupted him mockingly, following it up with a laugh.

“I do suggest you hurry up then.”

 

Before Shizuo knew it, his hand was embedded in the middle of one of the mirror walls, shards scattered around him.

He didn’t even feel some of them sticking into his still shaking fist that just smashed the thing to pieces.

 

“Oh, that’s 7 years of bad luck to you.” The comment chirped through the speaker, eliciting another growl from the blond in return.

 

“Don’t let him taunt you Shizuo!” Shinra’s voice finally registered in the blond’s mind. The doctor might’ve been shouting for the past minute and he wouldn’t have known…

“He’s just saying things to get to you!”

 

Maybe, just maybe that was what the man wanted.

Shizuo grinned as he swiftly put on the black gloves made from the toughest of shadows.

 

And it was exactly what the guy would get!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Interesting tactic…” Djinn merely commented as Heiwajima Shizuo started bashing through the mirrors in a straight line, throwing all of the rules right out of the window.

The snake was not surprised at the display that much, his fellow companions had a hard time not staring at the screen in awe though.

 

“I _did_ taunt him into it, guess It’s my own fault eh, Izaya-san?”

 

‘What did you expect, you fool.’ Izaya agreed in his mind as he bit back the urge to bite the hand covering his mouth.

 

He did not appreciate not being able to speak, nor to be silenced in such a suppressive kind of way…

Even so, his mind was more focused on the man on the screen, punching his way through the countless mirrors. Seeing the blond like that made his own muscles tense in anticipation for a fight, the fire to solve his current situation rekindled.

 

The _untasteful_ comments the snake used to taunt Shizuo were starting to work on his nerves as well.

 

It felt… weird, seeing Shizuo so protective over him…

 

“I’m having way too much fun with this…” Djinn spouted as he held his stomach from the burn of laughing at his own stupid remarks. “But I can’t help it, it’s just too easy…”

 

He then turned towards Izaya again, smirk evident in his eyes.

“He’s really possessive of you, isn’t he?”

 

Crimson eyes just glared back in silence as Djinn’s lackey was still holding him back, keeping his mouth shut to Izaya's annoyance.

“Don’t look so gloomy, Izaya-san, can’t let you ruin my fun now can I?”

 

‘Laugh all you want now.’ He thought as a smirk of his own crept up his lips.

‘Once Shizu-chan is in your face, there will be no more laughing.’

 

Said blond had finally reached the end of the maze, however, breathing like a madman.

 

“Ah, what a mess.” Djinn commented again as he did a small signal without even looking his way and the hand covering Izaya’s mouth disappeared immediately.

 

“What did you expect, honestly?” Izaya couldn’t help but mock him a bit, calling the man a fool in his head a thousand times over as he wiped his mouth with his sleeves more then just once.

 

“You must think me an idiot, I have to admit, perhaps I kind of am.” Djinn just replied with his arms crossed as he glanced at Izaya in amusement again, the informant rather surprised at his admittance.

 

The snake sighed next, as he suddenly quipped another order to his men.

“Viser maintenant.”

Crimson eyes were drawn to the sudden clattering of fingers on keys, screen turning black for a moment before it regained an image on Shizuo, zooming in on the blond’s still heaving form.

“Playtime’s over now though,” Djinn spoke to Izaya with a knowing glance that made his blood run cold as he watched a crosshair form upon Shizuo’s form on the screen.

 

“You don’t mind, right? He’s your enemy after all.”

 

The words echoed through his head for a couple of seconds, bouncing back and forwards from all sides as nausea crept up from his insides, skin prickling from the air suddenly clinging to his sweating palms.

 

Djinn didn’t miss the look of fear passing through his eyes, however, but he didn’t seem all that surprised.

 

“Or is it not that simple, perhaps?” He asked with a certain gentleness that came out more of a tease, the screen started showing a bunch of numbers to the side that made no sense to Izaya, but the 100%-mark ‘ping’ as the crosshair turned green was not hard to figure out.

 

Izaya aimed his sharpest glare at the man.

“You’re just going to shoot him like a coward?”

 

Djinn laughed at him.

 

“Well, that’s just another trait we share, I’m afraid.”

 

The words struck yet another nerve.

Yes, Izaya was a coward. He never cared that he was, in fact, he _embraced_ it.

And the one moment he hadn’t, he nearly died, thanks to the blond man on the screen no less.

 

The man he was now trying to protect.

 

“I’ve never _killed_ anyone though, unlike you.” Izaya bit at the snake, whose eyes smirked back at him even more.

 

The crosshair remained steady on Shizuo in the meantime, whom seemed oblivious to the danger as he glared around randomly at into the air.

 

“I don’t have to you know, we _could_ work something out.” Djinn quipped as he pulled something from his sleeve.

 

As Zeruan was presented to Izaya once more, it clicked in the raven’s head.

He knew what Djinn wanted before the question even left his lips.

 

“Take it now or I shoot him. It’s that simple.” Djinn explained as if it was choosing between two desserts in a restaurant.

 

Crimson flicked from the black flower to the azure eyes that regarded him curiously.

 

“I do wonder if he would survive a clean shot to the head… though I seriously doubt it.”

 

Izaya hated this.

He absolutely _hated_ this.

 

Hated the way his hands shook ever so slightly as he grasped the little pill between his two fingers, hated how he couldn’t help but stare at it in hidden anxiety as the seconds kept ticking by.

He hated the way Djinn’s eyes were gleaming with a smile.

 

‘It’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.’ Izaya kept repeating in his head, gathering the courage to do that which went against all his self-promises.

 

For a second, Izaya willed his mind to go blank as he swallowing Zeruan down in a motion so quick to make it seem like it didn’t even matter.

‘It doesn’t, it doesn’t.’

 

As the drug passed through his system, the order was called off, the crosshair slid off of the screen and Izaya felt a wave of relief pass over him.

Shizuo would be safe, for now.

 

“I’m so glad we’ve finally come to this point, Izaya-san.” The words hardly reached his mind as crimson eyes started to lose focus, everything in the room appearing double.

It should be nauseating but it wasn’t, instead, Izaya felt like fainting as if he was edging away from the world every second that passed by.

 

“Just remember, don't fight it...”

 

And then everything turned to that familiar shade of black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Take him to his room if you please, he might be out for a while.” Djinn asked his friends, whom merely nodded as they gently carried the dozing informant away, Azure eyes following the form as it disappeared from the room.

 

“Alright!” He quipped cheerfully next, spinning around to his ‘crew’ again as he gave a clap.

“Do we still have a clean shot?”

 

“I’m afraid he disappeared into the old lab, sir.”

 

When Djinn inspected the view himself, he could indeed see no more tousling blond hair in sight.

 

“Well, that’s unfortunate…”

 

He really had wanted to get rid of the blond here, certainly now that Izaya was ‘sleeping.’

 

It might take quite a while though it was hard to guess.

Some slept for hours on end, others for merely 20 minutes.

 

Truth was, he _really_ couldn’t wait to hear what Izaya had seen.

But this way, he might have enough time to disable the problem of a monster roaming his island by himself.

 

“I’ll take care of it.” He said to his friends. “Prepare the emergency evacuation, just in case.”

 

It was better to be safe than sorry, after all.

 

Djinn tapped his hand on his chin as he hummed in thought.

‘Time to put my assassin to work.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“NO SHIZUO, DON’T LET HIM GET TO YOU!” Shinra yelled into the blond’s ear but it was to no avail.

The mirrors shattered one by one, as if they were but a thin layer of glass to Shizuo’s ferocious fists.

 

“Why is this bad? Don’t we want to destroy this asshole's shit?” Another voice asked in the background before a moment of silence fell on the other side of his earpiece.

 

“Good point…”

 

And suddenly, everyone was cheering him on the path of rampage, which only momentarily confused the blond.

 

“That’s it Shizuo, punch those motherfucking mirrors!” The blond had to roll his eyes for a moment at the encouragement. He could just imagine Celty face palming already.

 

Yet, like a buffalo in a stampede, he would stop at nothing till he was at the end of this damn puzzle, the promise that he made to Mairu and Kururi floating through his memories.

 _“I’ll bring your brother back, I swear.”_ He’d said, the twins surprised at his words until a bright smile had covered their faces.

_“You better, he still owes us a dinner at Russia Sushi, after all!”_

 

“Did you know a pack of bunnies is could a fluffle? A fluffle!”

 

There came another of the crazy man’s random taunts, cutting through Shizuo’s thoughts. The man seemed to be having a blast at the current situation, though Shizuo couldn’t see why.

 

“Well damn.” He heard Kadota speak into his ear, probably confused at the man’s weird remarks as well.

 

It didn’t make him hesitate, however, in fact, it only fed the strength in his fists, right until the end of the line.

 

“Oh, now I can see you again!” Erika chirped from his earpiece as he finally made it to what seemed to be the ‘exit’, the field of broken mirrors left behind him.

He took a long moment to regain his breathe.

 

“Annoying sunlight was being reflected all the time…” The otaku girl mumbled again between the jitters of all the others.

 

“You guys okay over there?” Shizuo asked them with a groan as he straightened his back for a moment.

“Shouldn’t we be asking you that?”

The blond just smiled.

“Nah, it was fun…been a long time since I could unload like that…”

Plus, destroying this asshole’s expensive shit made Shizuo feel even more ecstatic.

 

But it wasn’t time to celebrate yet, he still needed to find the Flea…

 

For a moment, it felt like someone was watching him from afar and he was probably right.

That bastard, Djinn or whatever the fuck his name is, was probably observing him right now.

The thought made Shizuo glare up to no particular spot in the sky before he moved on swiftly again, following the path between the trees before him.

 

“I can see something else up ahead I think, eh, it’s not clear, trees are blocking the view.” Erika complained again, but Shizuo persevered nonetheless.

 

Sure enough, he stumbled upon another structure, though it seemed a bit less large than the last one. At least this time the entrance was in front of his nose.

 

“Shiz- can you see an-“ Shinra’s voice came through rather jolted, static shifting over his voice.

“Oi, I am going out of reach or what?” He asked them, though he only got static in return.

“Looks li- we’re losing y-“

 

‘Yeah, no shit.’ Shizuo thought as he called out some more but it was to no avail.

 

Oh well, looks like he had to go on alone.

 

He slipped inside the structure, though it appeared a bit deserted as well, though in a different sense.

Not only were there no people again, the floor was marred in thick dust, windows glazed over with filth that blunted the orange hue of the setting sun.

There was still plenty of light to be able to see, however and Shizuo carefully stepped on through, trying to dodge all sort of old crap laying on the floor. Glass, cups, spatulas, some glass tubes…

 

It seemed to be some sort of old laboratory or that’s what it reminded Shizuo of anyway.

He’d rather not think about what they’d tested in here…

 

At least, Djinn wasn’t annoying him anymore…the place must be so old it hasn’t been equipped with speakers. That, or the man was busy with other things now…

The thought of Izaya flashing through his mind made mocha steel again and just as he made to fasten his pace some more, he heard a sudden crack of glass somewhere to the far right.

His eyes flicked to the source, but found nothing.

Suspicious, he threaded further at a careful, slower pace.

 

It was at the click of a gun that Shizuo had the reflex to dive behind one of the lab desks, a gunshot ringing out just a second later, breaking on the heavy porcelain that covered the furniture.

He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, he blindly grabbed something random glass cup off of the floor that he didn’t know the name of, though Shinra surely would.

 

‘1…2…3’

 

Then came the turn, the intention to throw the thing to the enemy as a gun was immediately aimed at his face.

 

But no gunshot came and nothing was thrown either as the glass just fell to the ground in an echo of shatters.

 

“Vorona?”

“Shizuo-senpai?”

 

The gun lowered, very slowly so as Shizuo stared into those purple depths he hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

“I don’t understand…Why is Shizuo-senpai here?” She questioned, honestly confused and Shizuo didn’t blame her as he wondered the exact same thing.

 

But then he remembered the last letter he’d received.

 

“Wait… _this_ is your new job?” He spluttered in disbelief. To think that his kouhai would end up on the opposite side again.

It was like the past was repeating itself and that thought was scarier then he wanted to admit.

 

“Affirmative…I…execute assassinations for my employer whenever he requires one.” She confirmed, eyes cast downwards as if she was ashamed for admitting it to him.

 

“You’re here for him, aren’t you?” She asked before the blond could open his mouth to reply anything, surprising him.

 

“Izaya..he’s…”

 

He wasn’t sure how to say it...

 

“We’re here to take him back…” was what he settled for as she regarded him blankly again.

 

Then Vorona’s eyes turned hard as her hands seemed to tense around her gun again and for a moment, Shizuo expected her to aim the thing at him again.

But she didn’t, instead, she let arm drop next to her completely as she held the gun limply in her hand.

 

“I’m afraid I do not understand… but the time we acquire is insufficient...” She said next as her eyes seemed determined.

“When Djinn-san realises I have failed in stopping you, he will evacuate the island…You must hurry, Shizuo-senpai.”

 

He stared at her in surprise for a couple of seconds, not sure if he heard that right.

 

“There is a mansion not far from here, just down the next path…”

 

She was betraying her employer again, for him…

Shizuo smiled at her fondly as he put a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

 

“Vorona…Thank you.”

 

And then he was off and out the door, running as fast as he could towards the mansion she spoke of.

 

He missed the frown that turned to a slight smile a couple of moments later on the lone women’s face.

 

“Good luck, Shizuo-senpai.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit earlier this week, but the next chapter will probably be shorter (though it might also come faster) because I want to keep Izaya's 'dream' or whatever I should call it separate, since it'll be weird af. I apologize in advance, lol.
> 
> Vorona's viewpoint will be explained later (She's not easy to write though, imo. It'll be a fun challenge).
> 
> Also, credits to Lemoninasin for the discovery of Shizuo calling Izaya a 'bean sprout' in the novels.
> 
> This chapter was a combination of a lot of things I guess, hope you guys enjoyed it, feedback is always appreciated of course :)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	22. Leit Að Lífi

 

 

 

 

Crimson eyes opened but they did not wake.

 

For Izaya stared into the dark that could not belong to the reality he came from.

 

And the dark stared right back.

 

 

A turn of the head to the left, the right, behind him and to his front again.

But nothing changed…

 

He tried to take a step forwards, but it felt like his foot would fall down endlessly before it hit something solid, a rush of vertigo sweeping over him as a consequence.

 

_“Izaya.”_

The whisper startled him, he whipped his head around to meet it, but found no source as it echoed around him.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

It came again, louder this time, a question covered in a curtain of a million voices, making recognition impossible.

 

Was he supposed to answer?

 

 

Patience was something foreign to these voices, he found out but half a second later when a loud bang resounded out of nowhere, shaking his very being.

 

White light shot up from underneath his feet, the contrast to the black blinding him as his arm shot up to cover his eyes.

Cracks started to form, extending further and further as the light overcame the darkness and enveloped everything whole.

 

And then Izaya was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

_Flying._

 

He landed rather unceremoniously with a blunt thud and a groan in something soft and shifting.

 

Sand, his fingers told him before his eyes did the confirmation.

 

Warmth, his skin told him before he realised the sun was radiating down on him.

 

Sea, his nose and ears told him as he took in the salty air laced with seaweed and the ambient crashing of the waves upon the shoreline.

 

How? His mind wondered because this was not _real_.

 

This was all an illusion.

So how was he able to actually _feel_ all of these things?

 

Creased red eyes finally found the energy to focus in on his surroundings as the question rung through his head.

 

He was indeed, on some sort of beach, the ocean’s waves nearly touching his still sprawled out feet before he quickly rose to his feet, patting the sand off of his clothes.

His vision flicked to something jumping out of the water in the distance, drops flying up into the air as a jitter that imitated laughter followed suite.

Somewhere in the background, he swore he heard a dog barking and the sound made his muscles tense up involuntarily.

 

‘What does this mean?’

 

As soon as he questioned it, a thick mist started coming in from all edges in a concerning pace, covering the sun and blocking the light before it consumed the entirety of the place.

The humidity immediately stuck to his skin.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

 

His name came again, repeating from all corners around him in different voices.

He flinched at the way the voices almost hissed it at him, reaching frequencies too high to be comfortable for human ears such as his own.

 

And then the haze shifted, like low-hanging clouds they were suddenly swirled away by a harsh wind that cut through Izaya like a cold knife.

 

For a second he thought that he was being blinded by the sun again or at least, something that resembled it.

But the softness of sand had turned to the cold bite of shining snow.

 

He shuddered as another rush of air cut past him, arms hugging around his fragile frame as a meagre protection from the Arctic sting as crimson peered around to look for something, _anything_ that could make any sense.

But everything was covered in white.

Crystal clean, blinding and lonely white.

 

Then, another flash, a crackle amidst the peace as it stung in his head.

 

He had no time to pay it any mind, however, as suddenly, two dots had appeared in front of him, like coffee beans in milk they stood out against the snow.

 

Wolves’ eyes, staring at him curiously, eyes blinking in an unsettling calmness.

And Izaya could only stare like a statue.

 

Its fur was as brilliant as the landscape itself, thick and wild the manes stuck around its neck.

But it was the gentle, beckoning look in the creature’s eyes that made the strange feeling of peace envelop Izaya, despite the fact that he was standing in the middle of a sea of ice.

 

It came towards him, slowly but confidently and for once, Izaya did not feel the dreading need to run from a member of the canine family.

 

Instead, he reached out with his hand that slipped through soft fur, the wolf leaning into the touch.

Like water dousing a flame, warmth seemed to seep through his skin at the touch, melting the cold away.

 

The calming sensation disappeared as quickly as it came, fur slipping away from the between the grasp of his pale fingers as the wolf suddenly turned and ran into the white haze.

 

One impulsive step after it and from underneath his own step, another world was brought to life again.

 

Buildings sprung up around him from all corners, his eyes not able to follow all the motions.  The sound of honking cars became apparent somewhere in the background as grey silhouettes moved all around him.

 

The raven dared not move for he did not know what to expect next.

 

“Izaya.”

 

The sound of his name being uttered again caught his attention and however hard it was to recognize, he was certain.

It was not the ‘thing’ speaking to him before.

 

“IZAYA!”

 

‘Shizuo?’

Hearing the blond’s voice made hope erupt from within him and for a second he really thought Shizuo was there.

There to take him away from this confusing place…

 

But as he turned and turned, scanning every face he could lay eyes on, he did not find the one his eyes were desperate to find.

 

He nearly lost his footing as the world suddenly began to shake, literally so, like an earthquake taking over his own body and mind.

In his mind, because the buildings did not collapse and the people just kept on walking as if there was nothing amiss.

 

Another flash of light pierced its way past his eyes, the crackle of static slapping made him wince as it stuck still in his ears.

 

The cry of an eagle resounded over the crowd, as if calling for his attention.

Broad wings covered the sun, casting another shadow upon the world.

 

And then, the nothingness just swallowed him whole again, nothing but black surrounding him.

 

The voices uttered his name anew, like a record on repeat as his slightly decelerating heartbeat still pounded in his ears.

 

Another tremble beneath his feet caught his attention and for a second, he feared the floor would crack apart again.

The tremor’s amplitude simply started to grow, however as his ear picked up a sound coming from the distance.

 

When he looked up towards it, a light shone bright onto his face like a cone.

Shielding his eyes, Izaya cast them downwards in reflex where they widened at the sight of wood and metal laid out in a familiar pattern.

Train tracks...

 

Meanwhile, said train crept closer, unmoving in its speed that was hard to assess from his viewpoint as Izaya stood in the middle of its path like a frozen rabbit in headlights.

 

He did not know why he started to tremble or why he suddenly seemed to be struck with paralysing fear.

It just washed over him, like a sudden break of a cloud that you could not outrun.

 

But so did frustration, as well as anger and a ton of other emotions Izaya could not quite place.

 

Because for the life of him, Izaya could never imagining him doing something like _this_.

Because he knew he needed to move, needed to go just one measly meter to the left and he would be out of harm’s way.

And yet, his body would not listen, his legs would not move no matter how he much he wanted them too.

Was he standing up? Was he sitting down? He just couldn’t tell…

 

And that loss of control was the most horrifying thing of them all.

It made him wonder if this was some sort of punishment instead of a vision, like he’d hit the second level of purgatory.

 

A loud noise broke apart his thoughts as it shook his eardrums and blazed his hair backwards as Izaya saw the light sneak closer and closer.

 

‘It’s going to hit me.’ Izaya realised, pushing the fact that this was all not real into his mind again and again like a possessed mantra, hoping that the feeling of being hit by a train would not transcribe into his nerves.

 

As hard as it was, all he could do was close his eyes and wait for that imminent impact to occur.

 

Crimson revealed itself again after Izaya felt his side scrape roughly against the hard floor, the opposite patch of skin tingling from the hit it just had to endure.

Surprise washed over his features as he stared at familiar eyes, the wolf’s silhouette standing out against the glow of the tall street lights as the train from before ran by behind it at full speed. 

 

And then Izaya realised.

 

The beast must’ve pushed him out of the way.

It had… saved him?

 

He didn’t get any time to think it over, however as the wolf’s demeanour was far from the same as before, teeth bare and snarling at him in threat and anger, it’s fur turned from white to a dark grey.

His irrational fear for the canine population was re-summoned upon the display as Izaya reflexively crawled backwards.

As soon as he did, however, the wolf seemed to back down, it’s eyes glazing over with something akin to regret as it whined like a kicked dog.

 

Confused like never before, he merely stared with wide eyes at the animal as his breaths came too fast, too arrhythmic to be considered sustainable.

 

Another flash cut through his vision like a lightning strike as he winced again, searing pain travelling from the back of his head to the front as it faded again.

_“Long time no see!”_

 

 

_“Fly, little bird, fly like your life depends on it.”_

 

 _“_ _Izaya!”_

 

 

“Stop it…” Izaya spoke, hands covering his ears and eyes shut tightly.

But the incoherent voices only turned louder.

Fired off more and more and _more_ , nearly making his own mind cave in underneath the pressure, unable to process all of the information in such a short span of time.

 

 

_“When the world doesn’t want you…”_

_"_ _No, It’s not difficult! You just make it difficult, damnit!”_

_“That hurt, you know?”_

_“Don’t you think it’s time to just…let things go?”_

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

_“It will never tell you why.”_

 

 

 

“ENOUGH!” His own voice entered the battle, almost unrecognisable to his own ears.

 

To his surprise, everything around him fell silent.

 

He slowly started to open his eyes again, half expecting to be walking on the banks of the river Styx or to be sucked into another unsettling scenario again.

But all crimson met with was the colourless dark.

 

In the luxury of silence, he tried to focus on his breathing again, tried to push away the sickening nausea in his stomach that was threatening to spill over.

 

Izaya tried to wake up.

But he did not know how.

 

Shallow noises returned again, though much more gentle and somehow, also more clear and easier to distinct from one another.

Flutters.

Streams of water.

Laughter.

Bells.

Music.

The soar of wind through leaves…

 

And then it mingled with more, so much more that is all shifted into a blur again…

 

There was no sense to be found. There wasn’t a thing he could decipher the meaning of.

 

 

_“Orihara Izaya…”_

 

 

There ‘it’ was again, Zeruan, whispering his name to him as if he didn’t even know it himself.

What was this thing trying to prove?

 

Wicked eyes pointed anywhere but at its target that had no form, no eyes, no place in this world.

 

Another flash, another jolt of pain flying from behind eyelids that closed reflexively.

 

He already expected a different view when he opened them, though this place didn’t ring any bells either. Stuck in the middle of a field or some sort, one that stretched endlessly, the sun nearly setting into the Earth’s skyline.

A murder of crows flew overhead, cawing their way noisily passed him as countless black feathers fell from the sky like snowflakes.

 

Without warning, the white flash came again, bearing all its consequences, Izaya hissing once more at the repetitive torture.

As his own hiss stopped, another continued that did not originate from between his own lips.

 

Forest air overwhelmed his senses, humidity sticking to his skin.

The view was like a portrait.

A dirty road between pine trees, leading to a lone wooden cabin.

For some reason, the place felt eerie and dangerous, like the rattle of a snake sounding nearby.

 

He foresaw the next burst of white though it didn’t burn any less.

 

Expecting another unknown territory, Izaya almost missed the fact he was standing in his own apartment again.

And he was not alone.

 

_“Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”_

 

The voice was gentle and yet, he couldn’t recognize it, couldn’t put it apart from the layer of shadows dripping off of it.

There were no faces, just the outlines of those that moved around him.

 

Like an airplane passing right next to his ear, another mix of white and yellow raced passed his eyes but this time, Izaya did his best to keep his eyes open, to catch everything he could while his name kept being recited like it was a prayer upon deaf ears.

 

“ _Orihara Izaya?"_

The beach again, overtaken by a storm.

Then that same field, surrounded by feathers lying on the ground as the sky turned black and a wolf’s howl cut through the hollow scene.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

The house he’d stayed in for over a year in Russia, dandelions still gleaming underneath the mid-day sun.

 

His apartment, covered in a thick layer of dust, void of life.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

Some sort of cathedral, laughter echoing from all corners as classical music bounced off of the same walls.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

Faster and faster, more images came, more voices joined in and Izaya’s head felt like it could explode.

He almost wanted it to, felt like the end of the world was nearing him as he pressed his hands on his ears, closed his eyes to the sharp sensations they could no longer handle again.

 

But still, he did not regret his choice. Could not.

Because it meant Shizuo would be safe, safe, safe.

 

_“Never trust a snake.”_

 

The voices spoke as if warning him, though the images just kept flashing by like a videotape that was stuck in a loop, crimson reflecting every scene as it flickered by again and again.

 

“Wake me up.”

Izaya merely spoke, his hands falling down from upon his ears.

 

“I’ve seen enough.” 

‘I’ve seen nothing.’ His thoughts disagreed with his resilient words.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

The voice asked as if it hadn’t just said his name for a thousand time over.

 

It almost seemed to be confused.

As if it was doubting his identity.

 

 

“I _am_ Orihara Izaya.” He answered, defiant stare aimed at nothing in particular as the voices carried on all around him.

 

Another flash struck him yet again as the whispers and the hisses and the _questions_ , both loud and soft just carried on, his words bluntly ignored.

 

_“Orihara Izaya?”_

 

Again, he had to wonder, what did this thing want from him?

What _name_ did it want him to utter?

 

When he was about to voice at least one of those questions, the images sped up even more, stuttering and crashing as all the sounds and voices mixed together in one cacophony of noise.

 

 

“Just wake me up.” He repeated, defiantly, eyes hard and pleading at the same time.

 

“Just wake me up…”

 

Through wincing velvet lips, the words were whispered again and again, his mind turning black in its own exhaustion.

 

 

 

Crimson eyes opened and woke to a place where the sun was already silent.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s not much I can say about this chapter because I don’t want to give anything away… though I’m sure you guys have already figured out some things, I sure would love to hear it ;)
> 
> Also, I’m very sorry for the lack of unicorns, rainbows and fancy castles…
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless!


	23. Are We Fated, Faithful, or Fatal?

 

 

 

If it wasn’t for the sun’s orange shimmer still reflecting on the windows and the old gate not being _completely_ rigged to creak so eerily, Shizuo would’ve sworn he just slipped into some sort of cliché horror movie.

What kind of a creeper was this guy, living in old mansion like this…?

 

His eyes remained hard as he entered the building, pushing open the large door rather slowly as it fell open to reveal a rather large entry hall.

The place seemed as deserted as all the others to be fair, but he did not doubt Vorona’s words.

 

So onwards, he went.

 

He skidded into a carpeted hallway, checked all the rooms left and right but in none of them could he find the Flea he was looking for.

The last door was locked for some reason, not that Shizuo cared, he just pulled the door from its hinges and threw it aside before he stepped in.

 

He immediately noticed the fireplace, still burning as the flames lit the room that was vacant, save for a couple of old desks, tables and chairs. Some track marks were visible on the floor but Shizuo hardly paid them any mind.

He passed the crackling wood cautiously as his skin sucked in the warmth, the last dampness that the sea had left behind in his clothes erased into the dry air.

 

Startled by a sudden noise he picked up from outside the walls, Shizuo remained still for a moment.

‘Is that… an alarm or something?’

Sure enough, the periodic waves of sound that almost mimicked that of a blowing horn kept steady.

 

Like Vorona had said earlier, the island was probably being evacuated.

 

Resolution burned in his eyes again as he moved forwards once again, the step echoing against the room’s walls. He couldn’t help but falter once more, however, as his sharpened senses then picked up a _very_ familiar scent.

 

‘Izaya.’

 

The next steps were placed a bit more quickly, all regard for caution lost as Shizuo traced the raven’s location all the way up the stairs, into another hallway before another invisible sense caught his attention.

Was that… a piano?

 

A spark of hope lit up his insides, filling his mind with a certain desperation travelling all over his body, his movements turning near autonomous as he wrenched open the door that harboured the sound of music.

 

“Izaya!”

 

The piano’s melody disappeared abruptly as its player released a poignant shush that reminded Shizuo of the hiss of a snake.

 

His eyes narrowed down immediately at the appearance of the odd-looking man.

 

“He’s sleeping.” The devil himself whispered in annoyance with one finger still pressed on the masks’ lips as another pointed to the bed.

 

Mocha followed the gesture’s destination only to open wide again at the sight of Izaya laying there on the bed, unmoving.

In less than a second, he was at his side, hands twitching to touch, to _feel_ if it was truly Izaya he was seeing.

 

“Izaya?” He tried, but the Flea did not stir from his slumber.

 

“Izaya!” He yelled this time, as he dared to slightly shake the raven at his shoulders, mocha oozing concern. Izaya’s face only contorted in something akin to pain, however and Shizuo drew back as if he’d been burned.

The unsettling expression did not disappear from Izaya’s face however, as his fingers now grasped the blankets underneath.

 

“What did you do to him?” Shizuo asked the man lowly, but his eyes did not shift from the pale face he was so focused on.

 

“Me? I didn’t do anything, really.” The man responded suavely as he stood up from his seat behind the large instrument, leaning on it casually instead as he faced Shizuo.

“He just made a little sacrifice for you, is all.”

 

Mocha eyes flew up to meet blue treacherous ones at the words and Shizuo couldn’t help but stare at the man with a building crease between his eyes.

What the hell was with that attire? Was that a poncho? Did this guy have an allergy to light or something?

 

“You’re probably wondering about my appearance aren’t you? I don’t blame you but I can assure you, my skin’s perfectly fine underneath.” The guy started rambling underneath Shizuo’s judging gaze.

“I mean, I’m not an Adonis like you of course but I’m not that bad looking either y’know.”

 

What the?

The blond shook his head to warp all confusing thoughts away like flies swarming around his head.

 

“What did you mean by  _sacrifice_?”

Shizuo asked as his eyes focused in on Izaya again, whom still seemed to be in a state of distress.

And all the blond could do was stand there and stare, confused at what was going on.

 

He _hated_ feeling powerless like this.

 

“Well, I was about to have you shot in the face with a sniper so we made a little compromise.” Djinn merely explained, the words striking surprise into Shizuo’s eyes once again.

 

“I know he seems discontent, but it’s for his own good, trust me.” The man continued, unperturbed by Shizuo’s change of demeanour, nor the unforgiving harsh stare.

 

Trust me?

Did this guy even hear his own words?

 

Next to him, Izaya gave a wince, a slight hiss escaping from between his lips and Shizuo could feel his anger spike up even more at the snake across the room.

 

“His own good?” He bit out, mind warping back to the fact that this man dealt in drugs, the image of those suspicious flowers flashing before him.

“What exactly did you make him take?”

“I don’t expect you to understand the complexity of what my creation offers, in fact, I’d rather you didn’t stick your nose in places it doesn’t belong.” Djinn countered his question in a voice just as low and dangerous, surprising Shizuo with the sudden change in demeanour.

 

The man then just sighed tiredly, before pulling out a gun from the holster on his hip and spinning it once in his hand.

 

“I don’t understand why you’re being so defensive… was it not you who tried to kill this man nearly two years ago?”

The words made Shizuo flinch before he tensed in apprehension as the man seemed to just stare at the gun with soft eyes.

“Well, whatever, not like it matters any more.”

 

Shizuo’s eyes widened as the man then quickly pointed the gun at him in a flash, firing it just a millisecond later. The dodge was just as fast, however, the bullet swirling passed him by a mere inch.

Djinn tch’ed at the miss, the bullet flying into and through the old wall behind the blond who didn’t even hesitate to now go straight for the blow.

As Shizuo made to swing his fist at the man, he swore he saw the gun shake slightly in Djinn's before he ducked out of the way and slithered past him much like the snake he was.

The blond didn’t even think twice before picking up the piano and hurling it at the man whom seemed _very_ surprised at the action.

Too bad the thing didn’t hit him though.

 

“My, my, what did that poor piano ever do to you?”

 

All Djinn got was a dangerously low growl in return to which he seemed to smile in his eyes. He then promptly ran away while shouting something back over his shoulder.

“Let’s not do this so close to our sleeping princess, shall we?!”

 

Oh, he was going to fuck this guy up so bad…

 

Sure enough, Izaya was still 'sleeping' soundly... So Shizuo decided he would take care of the danger before he woke up.

 

For a moment, he thought he would have to chase this asshole through the entire mansion until he entered the familiar room with the burning fireplace.

Because as soon as he did, the barrel of the gun was staring him in the face from across the room.

 

He made the quick decision to swiftly jump out of the doorway, as the bullet soared passed his face and ending up making a hole in a window on the other far side off the hall, shattering glass.

“Merde.” He heard the guy mumble under his breath as Shizuo’s eyes found a rather nice looking cabinet to throw with.

The thing was flying through the room before they both knew it and the blond didn't waste a second storming after it himself, eyes finding the target in quick succession.

 

Djinn did not seem surprised by the old wooden piece of furniture flying at his face at all, stepping out of the way almost effortlessly as he shot two consecutive bullets at Shizuo again, one which actually crazed the blond’s cheek, effectively spilling his blood, however little it was.

More random objects were thrown throughout the room in a blur of chaos but Djinn just kept leaping and dodging all over the scene. Shizuo had to give the man credit for his agility, he honestly hadn’t seen it coming.

But even a snake had its limits, it seemed, as he now stood panting on one of the toppled over closets, giving a laugh in genuine amusement.

 

“Hmm, not bad...As expected of Ikebukuro’s ‘strongest man’,” The azure smirked at Shizuo, whose own breath seemed to come short.

“Maybe we should call it a truce, hm?”

 

The words surprised Shizuo, eyes widening for a slight second before they narrowed again.

One moment this guy wanted to blow his brains out, the next he wanted to lay down his arms, as if he hadn’t just kidnapped Izaya and made him take some shifty drug.

 

But the blond would never forget what the man had tried to do in the first place.

 

“After everything you did?” Shizuo started, straightening his own posture, eyes glowing with intimidation.

“You endangered innocent people, my friends, my family…” He balled his fists painfully as they shook in the memory of that bomb nearly going off in his brother’s face.

“Ah, how many times do I have to apologize for that...It _truly_ wasn’t my intention.” Djinn responded quickly with his hands up in surrender, making him seem oddly genuine.

 

But Shizuo’s glare did not lessen.

 

“I know you think I’m a bad guy… not saying that I’m _not_ but…” The man continued and Shizuo missed the hand that sneaked behind the man’s back.

“ _You’re_ not so innocent either, you know.”

 

The smirk was evident in the man’s eyes at his words before suddenly, in nothing but a flash, a barrage of needles was flying towards Shizuo like a line of tiny missiles.

Reflexively, he crossed his arms like a shield as he tried to jump out of the line of fire, dodging many but still catching some in the fray. Before he could even try to pull out one in his leg, a heavy weight seemed to erupt from within his limbs, making him fall down to one knee, a low growl erupting from his throat in frustration.

 

‘What the hell is this…’ Shizuo’s mind boggled as his eyes flicked up to meet the amused Azure ones in front of him again.

 

“How many people have you hurt Shizuo-kun? Have many people have come to fear you as a result? Not to mention what you did to our little raven upstairs, hm…”

The man just continued smugly as his smirk seemed to intensify as he caught the flash of guilt pass over Shizuo’s eyes as the blond struggled to keep his body from sinking completely to the ground.

“It really makes me wonder what you had to do to make him so loyal to you after something like _that_.”

 

Casually, Djinn just entered the marksman’s weakest phase as he started to reload his gun, the four bullets being replaced at a tantalizing pace as Shizuo could only stare in contempt as he willed his muscles to move to no avail.

 

“You will never understand what Izaya and I have.” He spoke back at the man in defiance, believing every syllable he uttered past his lips as breathing suddenly became a challenge.

 

“Perhaps not,” Djinn admitted, as if he didn’t care but the bother was apparent in his eyes

“But do you? Does _he_?”

 

With another flip of the gun in his hand, ready and loaded, the snake’s eyes almost seemed to twinkle in response to Shizuo’s narrowing gaze and silent lips.

 

Then he took aim again, turning his head sideways and closing one eye in smug playfulness.

 

“I suppose we’ll never know…”

 

As Djinn’s finger started moving across the trigger and Shizuo once again tried collecting the tiniest bit of strength to move, they were both interrupted by an unexpected voice entering the fray.

 

“Stop!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word almost got caught in his throat against the strain of his vocal chords.

He clung to the door's frame as he stared at his once mortal enemy crouching helplessly on the floor as his makeshift ally had him at clean gunpoint.

 

_“Never trust a snake.”_

He knew those words to be true, even before they resonated in his mind again as he glared at Djinn and more particularly, at Lucy in his hand, slightly shaking in the wake of violence.

 

“Izaya...” Shizuo mumbled wide-eyed as he stared at Izaya, relief apparent in his gaze.

Seeing the blond so weak and vulnerable sparked unpleasant memories in the Izaya’s mind, though he could direct the new-found anger at someone else than his _own_ mistakes this time.

 

His own breath still came a little short, but the raven couldn’t help but lash out at the snake in intimidation.

Djinn could still take the shot any moment now, after all…

 

“Good to see you awake, Izaya-san!” Djinn greeted him happily, as if he wasn’t just about to kill someone.

“Had a nice journey I hope?”

 

‘Not the one you had in mind, I believe…’ Crimson narrowed in response as walked forwards slowly, drawing Djinn’s attention to him as he bit out his next words.

 

“Djinn, I thought we had a deal.” The undertone of anger was clear in Izaya’s voice to which the snake just sighed in annoyance.

 

As soon as Izaya was effectively blocking Shizuo from Lucy’s reach, however, Djinn quickly aimed her to the ground in response.

At his back, He could hear Shizuo’s laboured breathing and at the looks of the odd needless scattered over the floor, Djinn had most likely paralysed the blond with something.

It was only a matter of time before Shizuo’s body would ‘break the spell’ however, or at least, that was what Izaya was hoping for.

 

All he had to do now, was keep Djinn at bay and buy them some time.

 

“You’re a handful you know that?” The snake sighed, as if Izaya were some disobeying pet.

“I’ve been dying to hear though,” Djinn then deliberately sat himself down, legs dangling off of the edge of the closet as he leaned forwards ever so slightly.

 

“What did it show you?”

Izaya knew that question was coming and for a moment his breathing stilled as those azure eyes regarded him so curiously like he was a fresh birthday present.

 

“My home…” He started, eyes unrelenting as his lips remained in a thin line of seriousness “My friends, family…Some beach…” He didn’t miss how Djinn’s eyes narrowed at him in response.

“But not you, nor this place…” Izaya revealed to him and it wasn’t exactly a lie. It’s not like he’s had any time to process what he’d witnessed, to confront it…

But neither did he really want to.

 

“There is nothing for me here.” He finished just as monotonously.

 

For a while, there was nothing but silence and the sound of air still being pulled in at a harsh pace behind the raven’s back as the fire still cracked the wood beside them. He swore he could feel Shizuo’s confusion at his words radiate from his skin, eyes burning into his back that nearly made him want to turn around to meet those mocha eyes.

 

But Izaya knew that you should never turn your back on a snake.

 

“Hm, is that so?” The man just quipped as he crossed his legs, leaning down on his elbow propped on his knee.

“Maybe all the racket ended the process prematurely…you should still be more weakened as well,” He continued as he then hopped off of the closet, Izaya tensing up in response.

 

“Most people can’t even walk around so quickly afterwards, you know.”

 

If only the man knew how difficult it was to stand as straight as he did now…

But knowing that he would win time for Shizuo to recover was enough to fuel the tiny flame still keeping him upright.

 

“So then, it’s come to _this._ ” Djinn spoke, sounding rather tired himself, Lucy trembling once again in his hand.

“I’ll say it again, Izaya-san, since you aren’t making this easy at all.” The man said, hand on his hip again in his typical stance but the raven knew that he was only using it to cover up his building frustration.

“Either join me an-

“I won’t.” The raven interrupted the other defiantly, tired of the snake’s game.

“I don’t know what you saw, what you imagined…” He continued as azure grew cold at him.

 

“But it’s not going to happen.”

 

Silence, again, painfully stagnant so as the fire next to them was creeping closer to death, the little light that was left flickered over the outlines of Djinn’s form.

 

‘Just go, just leave.’ He thought in frustration as the stare-down continued for countless seconds that turned to minutes that _felt_ like hours.

Shizuo’s breathing had grown more quiet, more calm behind him and Izaya picked it up as a good sign, though he couldn’t be sure.

 

“It’s too bad, really.”

The words were dark yet filled with genuine regret as they left Djinn’s mouth. It made Izaya feel sick instantly as a bad feeling dawned on him.

 

“But I’m afraid that’s another thing we have in common, Izaya-san.” The snake continued as crimson refused to yield its resolute gaze.

He heard Shizuo rustle behind him, groaning lowly in frustration as he was probably struggling to get up, as if he had felt the same unsettling feeling as well.

 

“If we can’t get what we want,” And then Djinn raised his arm again, Lucy’s golden edges blinking in the firelight as Izaya felt himself slightly trembling underneath her lethal eye.

 

Crimson eyes narrowed again at the threat, Lucy trembled once more underneath the pressure on her trigger, Shizuo was shouting things that didn’t register anymore as Azure turned cold like ice.

 

 

“We get rid of it.”

 

 

The imminent sound of a bullet firing of spread throughout the halls of the mansion and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was not a typical human being, neither did she crave the typical things other humans longed for.

Or at least, that is what Vorona perceived about herself.

 

Other people seemed to crave for affection. So didn’t she also?

To answer that question, she first needed to discover what exactly _affection_ was.

The word itself wasn’t always clear either. Love, devotion, fondness, acceptance, butterflies in the stomach…

 

It was one of those subjects in her books that she was never able to completely _grasp_.

 

Perhaps, she thought back then, because she had never experienced it herself.

 

She had asked ‘Simon’ about it once and he merely told her she had enough experience in _love_ , even if she didn’t realise it.

At first, she thought he was talking about sushi again.

The man was peculiar like that.

 

But stupid, he was not, Vorona knew this. It was just his way of saying ‘Go find the answer for yourself.’

 

But she only ever found her answer in the wake of the hunt, the crave for the kill, the victory over someone that was bigger, faster, _stronger_ than her.

To feel _alive_ , acknowledged for her talents.

 

That was what she yearned after, even if her father didn’t show the same appreciation as he did that one day.

The day of her first kill.

The day she finally received that embrace, that glimmer of this 'affection'.

 

The day she forged that dysfunctional connection between death and love.

Between ‘evil’ and ‘good’.

 

She did not realise it back then, this birth of what she would become if she kept following that path, because like the child she was, all she wanted was to feel that appreciation _again._

 

“A natural born killer.” Some said.

 

But Vorona had to disagree to some extent.  Nature was only one part of the equation, after all.

Sometimes, nurture was that much more important.

 

But it was not her problem, never had been, never was.

She just wanted to do what she loved to do the most, after all.

 

Which is why she had decided to take this job, this _offer_ , as the man called Djinn liked to call it.

The opportunity to travel around the world, to freely request any weapon she desired, as long as she would complete her mission, time and time again.

 

No questions asked, none needed.

 

Just the thrill of the fight that rekindled that old flame in her heart as she came across all kinds of different opponents, challenging security measures, lethal situations that kept the blood pulsing through and from her burning veins.

 

She had been so absorbed in it all that she'd nearly forgotten who she was again, what had shaped her into who she was...

 

But then, just one glance into those blood-coloured eyes she had once pointed her gun at and it all came flowing back to her.

The memories of going to that city…with the same goal in mind that she had right now, only to find other things there, _better_ things during her stay…

 

And she should have known, should have expected it.

The arrival of that person she was still dreaming of defeating one day. The person who’d helped her see a different side of the world, a different meaning of the joy _existing_ in this world.

Heiwajima Shizuo…

 

Wherever Izaya was, Shizuo seemed to follow, she had concluded.

It did not take her that long in their presence to realise that they shared some sort of obsession with each other, though its nature was unclear to her.

 

All she knew back then, was that Orihara Izaya was simply a _pest_ in Shizuo’s life.

And that she had the strength to take that pest away...

 

But now,

she also had the strength to _save_ it.

 

“Allow me to apologize, Djinn-san.” The words passed her lips decisively, eyes aimed for the mask that now slowly turned up to meet her from the floor where his gun laid bare.

“But I cannot let you kill this man.”

This person who seemed to be of importance to Shizuo...

She simply could not just stand by and watch it die down to nothingness.

 

Djinn’s gun had cluttered to the ground and even though his hand was bleeding from the obvious wound she herself had just inflicted with her piercing bullet, he did not flinch from the pain as fresh blood dripped onto the floor.

 

“Vorona…” Shizuo uttered her name in that way for the second time that day.

 

She was aware she was being stared at, by three pairs of eyes no less, all bearing their own variation of surprise mixed in with plain shock, confusion and treachery. But she could not pull lose from the cold blue that settled onto her own lavender ones.

 

“I see…” Djinn spoke, oddly calm, almost relieved for some reason as his eyes flicked to his bloodied glove for a moment, holding it in his other unblemished one before giving a little wince.

“That hurt you know.” He told her as if she did not know that her actions had caused him pain, though the smirk was evident in his eyes.

 

“I should’ve known the place of your allegiance, I was careless…” He admitted gingerly, and for a moment, it confused Vorona but she didn’t let it influence her aggressive stance.

The man was a fool to underestimate the connection between them.

 

“Relax, I know when I’m beat, not to mention 3 versus 1 is a bit much, even for me.” The man continued in his monologue as he turned to wink at Izaya and Shizuo for a moment, whom remained very cautious to the man’s movements.

 

They all expected the snake to pull a trick from his sleeve at any moment.

 

“Oh and by the way, Vorona…” He said, a glint of amusement in his eyes that bore nothing but trouble.

 

“You’re fired.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the situation he still couldn’t grasp, couldn’t quite _believe_ to be true,

Izaya simply had to.

Because without a doubt, Djinn would still have something up his sleeve, have some sort of back-up plan to make the current situation even more chaotic then it already was.

 

And sure enough, as he spoke those last words to his now past employee, three black-clad forms barged into the barely lit space, blades flickering in the flames.

Vorona immediately set her gun on them in immediate defence as Izaya was startled by a sudden hand upon his shoulder, its warmth immediately seeping through his shirt and into his skin.

He turned his head towards towars Shizuo as he slightly relaxed when meeting the other’s soft gaze.

“Flea, take this…” He spoke as Izaya felt the familiar hilt of flick-blade being pushed into his palm.

 

Toe to toe and back to back, the three of them formed an alliance to face off with Djinn’s new ‘friends’.

 

He smirked in amusement at the odd situation as he flicked the knife open, holding it sideways in a defensive position. Shizuo was now standing somewhat stable as he aimed up his fists with steeled eyes while Vorona still kept her gun aimed steadily if one of their enemies should have the bad idea to creep too close to them.

 

It was quite a stand-off with the makeshift ninjas half-dancing around to show off their skills with their katanas and for a moment, Izaya thought Zeruan had put him in some sort of random action movie on accident.

 

He didn’t feel like fighting at all, however and he doubted Shizuo did either, seeing his state, not to mention his hate for unnecessary violence…

 

Luckily, the universe had other plans for them.

 

“Deadly move, Self-made style: Innocentius!”

 

Out of nowhere, a sea of flames suddenly streamed inside of the room, effectively setting one of the black-clad fighters on fire. Needless, to say, the guy fled the scene in a panic as he tried to douse his burning pants…

The flamethrower, or whatever that thing even was that Walker was holding died out as Kadota and Togusa jumped inside of the room as well, catching the two other fighters off-guard in a surprised attack, fists immediately hitting their target dead-on.

 

“Well…that was disappointing.” Togusa mumbled as he stared at the knocked out villains sprawled on the floor.

Kadota just smirked in satisfaction before they finally turned their attention to the three forms huddled up in the middle of the room as they all lowered their own weapons to stare at the unexpected mess.

“Yo, sorry we’re late.”

 

Izaya couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the joking words passing out his old friend’s mouth.

“You guys…why are you all here?” He couldn’t help but ask, gaining raised eyebrows in return.

“To save your ass, Flea, what else?” It was Shizuo who answered of course and Izaya merely scoffed at his answer as if denying that was even necessary.

Not even a second later, however, a wave of exhaustion passed over him, knees buckling underneath the sudden blow to his system.

 

A strong arm wrapped itself around him instantly, however as crimson met mocha’s worried gaze.

“Take it easy, Izaya” Shizuo ushered him with a frown as he walked Izaya over to an old wooden chair that was still miraculously standing up, setting him down gently.

‘ _You’re_ the one who just got paralysed, protozoan…’ Izaya’s mind responded as it spun lightly.

 

“Beep-boop-beep-boop, coming through!”

 

Oh god.

 

“Orihara-kun! I’m so glad to see you’re okay. You are okay, right? Are you hurt anywhere? Let me see…”

Shinra’s words made him smile almost reflexively, at least if he wasn’t feeling so tired.

 

“I’m fine, Shinra…just, really tired.”

‘Really, _really_ fucking tired.’

 

Erika was standing right next to the underground doctor as well, eyeing him all worriedly too.

Wait, was that blood on her clothes?

 

“So, what happened? You guys look awful…” Togusa spoke as they huddled together around Izaya as Shinra did a quick check up on his eyes and heartbeat.

“Uh, except you, uh, you look...good?” Togusa said to Vorona with a blush as he awkwardly rubbed his hand behind his neck.

Vorona merely thanked him formally for the compliment, before Erika went up to her as well, asking her if she also required any ‘medical attention.’ far too enthusiastically.

 

Then Shizuo started to explain his side of the story about Djinn, which made Izaya realise that the snake had, in fact, disappeared to who knows where, the spot where Lucy had fallen on the floor now empty as well…

 

The ‘guild’ or however Walker liked to call them explained how they’d heard the sudden air alarm and how a bunch of large helicopters had flown up and away from the island, which gave them the opportunity to finally come closer and land on a spot on the beach.

“We had to fight off a couple of other weirdos in suits but it wasn’t too hard…” Kadota mentioned.

“Yeah, they really underestimated us.” Togusa added as he winked to Erika whom just grinned back at him mischievously.

 

“We had to convince Celty to stay with Akabayashi and Shooter though, that ‘thing’ was still spooking her.” Shinra added, trying to hide the fact that he was kind of worried behind his cheerful smile.

 

Izaya gave a little smirk as he tried to ease his mind.

“It’s just a gun.” He said and all heads turned to him.

“A gun that shoots golden laced bullets.”

 

It took him a good moment, but Shinra’s eyes soon lit up like lighthouses as he realised what that little detail meant to a Dullahan.

“Ah right, like that one time where we came passed the jeweller…” He reflected with a crooked grin.

Togusa just dropped an intelligent ‘O’ as Erika chuckled.

 

Meanwhile, Shizuo’s worried gaze was still burning into Izaya’s face as Shinra was now asking the blond to let him evaluate his status as well.

Izaya could see why Shinra would ask that because frankly, the blond looked like he’d been fighting all day, his precious bartender outfit torn is several places, the cut on his cheek, the needles still sticking into his legs…

He couldn’t help but feel like it was his fault Shizuo got hurt like that…

 

“Well, whatever it was, it seems to have dissipated but I’ll have to take a better look back home…” Shinra commented at Shizuo’s already passed paralysing episode as they all made the move to leave the place, the fire finally dying out and coating the room in darkness.

 

In wordless, mutual understanding, Shizuo supported Izaya on their walk to where Shooter was waiting for them underneath the shining moon, the rest of the guild as well as Vorona doing the scouting to see if no random ‘ninja’ was going to pop up again.

 

He knew Shizuo had a ton of questions to ask and frankly, so did Izaya but the exhaustion was wearing on them both, not giving way for such…sensitive topics.

 

“This is real right?” Izaya merely asked, the fear of still being stuck in Zeruan’s ‘prophecy’ taking a hold of his heart.

From upon a worn and yet still so perfectly outlined face, mocha eyes shifted upon his own tired crimson ones.

 

“Yeah, pretty real, Flea.” Shizuo mumbled as a smile formed upon his lips and Izaya felt the arm supporting him tighten just a little bit more around his waist.

 

“Pretty real…”

 

They walked the rest of it in silence, until Erika up to them again, complaining about the fact that there were no ‘fancy flowers’ to be found in any of the buildings.

At first, her words didn’t click in Izaya’s head. Then he realised that Djinn must’ve been actively producing those nocturnal flowers here on the island…

 

The fact that they were gone now, made him feel a bit conflicted.

Though involving other people in the snake’s shady business was something he did _not_ want to do right now.

If anything, he’d like to keep Zeruan’s darkness as far away from his friends as possible.

 

Without warning, he was suddenly embraced by a darkness of a very different kind, one much more…gentle.

 

“Oi, Celty you might suffocate him…” He couldn’t agree more with Shizuo’s words. Luckily, Celty refrained from going that far.

[I’m so glad you’re safe!] She typed hurriedly as Akabayashi winked at Izaya from the side.

Izaya just gave a little smirk in return.

 

“Oh please, I’m not made of glass Celty.” He quipped before Kadota walked passed him and gave him a friendly pat on the back that _almost_ made him fall over. 

“Sure you’re not.”

‘Damn you, Dota-chin…’

 

Then a horses’ neigh came as a matter of impatience, rotor blades irking to spin underneath the moon’s gentle silver. Izaya decided to just accept the fact that Celty’s horse had just turned into a helicopter.

No.

That’s not weird at all.

 

“Let’s go home.” Was all he heard before Shizuo helped him board the thing, his bones aching to rest.

As soon as Shizuo sat him down ever so gently, he dozed off into what Izaya hoped would be just his own simple dreams this time.

 

“Just rest now, Flea…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she stared at those around her, these people she hardly knew, just smile and sigh in relief, Vorona knew she had done the right thing.

A mere sparkle of something _good_ between all of her actions considered evil.

 

She still didn’t quite understand how or why but she didn’t really need to either.

 

Orihara Izaya was safe and for some reason, that made Shizuo happy.

And for her, it was just one little act to repay the kindness that the man had shown her in those peaceful days in the city of Ikebukuro…

 

“There is still room for one more, you know.”

Lavender looked up to meet warm mocha eyes, the 'helicopter’s' blades already warming up in the background.

 

She smiled as she gave a nod in appreciation.

“I appreciate the gesture but I must refuse…. There is a place I have to return to.”

At least for now…

 

Seeing the bond between these people… all so different and unique, she realised she missed those of her own.

With her father…

With Slon…

…

 

Perhaps by strengthening those bonds, she could become a stronger person as well.

As strong as the man before her.

 

“Are you sure? I mean…well, you must still find all this pretty confusing…” He answered with a thoughtful expression to which Vorona just held up her hands to ease his worn mind down.

“I do not require an explanation, Shizuo-senpai,” She merely offered “I only acted upon what I thought was the correct course of action.”

Shizuo gave a little scoff at that.

“And you have no idea just how glad I am that you did…The Flea too, I bet he had no idea what came over him.” He said as he stared up into the star-filled sky.

 

“How things have changed…”

 

That, she could not deny either.

 

“Look at me though, I’m supposed to be your senpai but you had to help me out once again,” He mumbled at he laughed pitifully at himself with a grin “And I still haven’t taken you up on that spar either…”

 

She could only smile fondly at his remembrance.

 

“You should visit us soon, in any case,” Shizuo sighed as he returned his tired gaze to hers again “Tom and I discovered this new place…they got some really good blueberry cakes.”

 

His smile was infective, Vorona concluded for she could not keep the stretch off of her own lips.

She really missed these moments that made her feel so at ease…so innocent…

 

“I will.” She decided, keeping the promise closer to her heart this time.

 

Shizuo thanked her one more time before hurrying back to the helicopter which seemed to release the impatient neigh of a horse, however peculiar that was…

 

She waved the flying carriage off, its occupants waving back at her.

 

And for a moment Vorona basked in the feeling...

The feeling that she  _belonged_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Plus de vin, monsieur?”

“Non, merci Jacques.” Djinn replied curtly before his azure eyes moved from his glass of wine to the island slowly disappearing from his view.

 

He couldn’t help but give a long sigh as the chopper put more space between him and the one he was destined to meet. Things certainly could’ve gone much better on that part, however.

A slight clatter against the table caught his attention before his eyes landed on Lucy again.

 

“You were also scared for a moment there, weren’t you?” He asked her gently as he reflected on his own doubt and fear when he’d pointed Lucy straight at Izaya's face, resolute to pull the trigger.

And he would have, if not for the interference.

 

But it was _that_ interference that proved that he was still on the right path, that Zeruan was not wrong.

 

Because the snake already knew that he would meet the raven again.

Even if the latter didn’t.

 

He chuckled in the delight of it all as he observed the black of the night, the moonlight so strong that the flowers were reacting, even from inside of their cases.

 

“Lazarus really hasn’t got any dirt on you, Izaya...”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The needles hitting Shizuo contained Suxamethonium chloride, which acts as a depolarizing neuromuscular blocker and thus leads to short-term paralysis (in the muscle it's injected in, anyway). In medicine, it is used as a part of anaesthesia (it helps with placing the endotracheal tube). It is very short acting because enzymes in the body begin to break down the drug almost immediately (which also makes it hard to trace). 
> 
> In any case, the last chapter will be posted somewhere next week. Sorry that I can’t give a specific time, guess It’ll be a surprise ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading!


	24. Begin Again

 

 

 

 

Gold, like the new-born sun at dawn.

That’s the first thing his eyes processed when they opened, already trying to blink his blurred vision away.

Then his ears picked up a mewl from somewhere awfully close by…

 

The weight on his chest was registered only when it decided to move, making Izaya release an annoyed wince to the paws pressing down on his lungs.

 

“Yuki…Is that you?” He mumbled lowly as his eyes fell closed again.

 

He felt like he had slept for an eternity and yet, his limbs might as well be made of cement…

 

Yuki mewled again, a bit louder this time, as if she was standing in as his alarm. He soon understood why.

 

“What’s up, Yu..” Crimson fell upon a familiar mop of blond hair, Shizuo’s words dying out as his eyes landed on Izaya’s face, mocha lighting up in surprise.

 

“Good…morning?” Izaya honestly couldn’t tell.

Shizuo just laughed at him before he smiled, the gentleness of it spreading a certain warmth into the room.

And just like that, everything seemed so much more…colourful.

 

“It’s past noon…how’re you feeling?” The blond asked as he sat down next to the bed, petting the black feline on the head as she waltzed over the blankets as if she owned them.

 

At the blond’s sudden proximity, the light scent of cigarettes entered Izaya’s lungs.

It was more comforting than it should be.

 

“Better…I think…” Izaya returned as he set himself upright against the headboard, eyes focussing in on his surroundings the best they could.

He recognized Shinra’s guest room almost immediately. It’s not like it’s been that long since he resided here, after all…

Shizuo seemed to realise the same thing, giving Izaya a little moment to adjust as he kept spoiling Yuki with gentle strokes, purrs vibrating up against his leg.

 

“That’s not very convincing, Flea.” The blond finally responded, eyes focusing in on his own with concern pooling up in its depths. “But Shinra said you might still be a bit hazy, your blood pressure was really low…”

 

Izaya frowned at the words, thinking back on all that had transpired…

It still felt so surreal…

The island, Zeruan, the dream.

His friends coming for him, _Shizuo_ coming for him.

Vorona saving them both…

 

“Izaya…”

Red eyes flicked up to meet Shizuo’s at the sound of his name being uttered so softly passed those careful lips.

“Did something…Djinn, he…” And then the blond was struggling for words as he averted his eyes, making a crease appear between Izaya’s eyes in confusion.

Then he remembered the snake’s taunting words that had made the blond go on his rampage in the first place...

His amused chuckle pressed his previous confusion onto Shizuo, however.

“He just offered me quiche and fancy wine, Shizu-chan.” He answered with a mischievous smirk, though that seemed to only feed the crease between those mocha eyes.

“That’s about all, really.”

“Quiche?”

 

Poorly suppressing another chuckle, Izaya decided he really shouldn’t be so amused right now.

Shinra must’ve given him weird painkiller again or something…

Then Yuki came pressing against his hand again.

‘Oh, now you want my attention…’ Izaya thought with a smirk as the crimson narrowed at those golden slit eyes.

 

The blond, however, was not satisfied yet with his answer.

 

“But what about that drug…or whatever the hell it was he made you take…that was…my fault wasn’t it?”

 

The conflict in the other’s eyes made Izaya frown.

 

“Shizuo…” He muttered as he watched the guilt grow further.

 

“If only I’d been a bit faster… and then I even fucked it up and you…”

 

Shizuo released a long, frustrated sigh that shuddered as he drew his hands through his blond strands.

“You went to stand in front of me like that and I…”

 

Izaya smiled softly at the words, placing his hand gently on Shizuo’s, whom stilled at the touch.

 

“I’m not made of glass, Shizu-chan.”

 

Mocha eyes fell upon Izaya’s teasing smile at the white lie, his frown effectively erased.

 

“Besides, looks like you trained your kouhai well enough…” He continued, the curve on his lips turning mischievous.

“For a moment though, I thought she was going to try and shoot _me_ as well.”

 

Shizuo tch’ed at that while he started playing with Izaya’s fingers, his own sliding over the pale skin as if testing out how fragile it was.

It felt strangely mesmerizing, almost…intimate.

 

“Don’t be an idiot…” Shizuo added with a small smile, eyes still focused on the innocent play beneath.

 

As their hands aligned to each other, Izaya could not help but stare in fascination at the difference between them, how small his hand seemed compared to Shizuo’s.

They stayed like that for a while.

Just the palms of their hands pressed against each other as Yuki merely sat down on the blankets, staring with curious eyes at the ordeal like it was some sort of ritual they were performing.

 

“You came for me…” Izaya suddenly let slip “Even after I was being such a…”

“Jerk?” Shizuo filled for him after a pause, mocha flicking up to crimson in a tease.

Izaya let a whiff of breath escape from his lungs at the stab, but he couldn’t exactly deny it.

 

Because it’s not like it’s ever been any different…

 

“Not just you though…” Shizuo added, eyes still staring absentmindedly at the place where their hands joined.

“I mean…I might’ve been a bit…”

 

‘Mean, overzealous, touchy?’ Izaya could pick any one of those to stick at the end of Shizuo’s sentence, but he already saw his answer in the shade of the other’s cheeks.

 

Izaya couldn’t help but roll his eyes at how flustered the blond was getting. His next words leaped out of his mouth without a second of evaluation.

 

“It was only a kiss.”

 

Now, if only he could convince _himself_ of such a simplicity…

 

Shizuo just gave him the most dead-panned stare and Izaya could just read the words ‘I’m not buying your shit anymore’ in them, to which he just smirked.

 

“It was a lot more than that and you know it…” The blond pawed back, stubborn frown back on his lips while Izaya’s just kept curling more upwards.

 

“Look I…” The blond began again, weaving his unoccupied hand through his locks again tiredly before he sighed.

“I’m really…confused but I do know that this _thing_ between us…” Shizuo’s eyes met his again in certainty, captivating and stilling the air in his lungs.

 

“I don’t want to just _forget_ about it.”

 

For a moment, Izaya’s lips fell down somewhat as he drowned into those coffee-coloured eyes. And then the image clicked in his head.

 

His vision…

That wolf…

It was-

“But I don’t want to _push_ you either.” Shizuo’s voice brought his attention back to reality.

 

“So how about we just…begin again?”

 

Crimson and mocha held each other gaze for a long time as Izaya wondered how exactly they ended up like this again.

How Shizuo was able to accept him like this, after the ill-filled past they shared, after all the pain they’d caused each other, both mentally and physically so…

How the blond wanted to keep him so close…

 

“Shizuo…”

 

And then Yuki flew up a couple of meters into the air as they retracted both of their hands in a startle at a certain doctor’s unnecessarily loud intrusion.

 

“Orihara-kun! You’re awake!”

 

“Really now, how observant of you Shinra...”

The addressed could only smile in mischief as he moved to take Izaya’s blood pressure.

 

Celty was now standing in the doorway as well, hands up in a shrug as an apology to letting Shinra in the room like a rabid dog. Shizuo just shook his head at the situation with a smile.

 

“Hmm, your pressure is still kinda low but you _have_ been laying down for a long time.” Shinra remarked just as Izaya’s stomach decided to release a desperate cry for attention.

“You should probably eat something Flea…” Shizuo merely responded to the sound, Yuki mewing along in agreement.

 

“Hmmm,” Izaya started, mischief sparkling in his eyes “Maybe if Celty prepares me something again.”

 

The added wink had the desired effect on the Dullahan, as she appeared to immediately suffer from a giggling stroke.

[Flattery will get you nowhere!] She typed in response as she crept closer to the bed. Yuki came up to her with a mewl before she jumped on Celty’s shoulder as if it was her second home.

[But I can’t let you starve either… so get your ass out of bed already!]

 

Rising was the hardest part, it took him a good 5 seconds before the grey haze of dots and stars roamed away into the edges of his eyes.

Orthostatic hypo-tension had never been such a bitch before.

 

“Thanks for taking care of Yuki…I do hope she didn’t give you too much trouble?” Izaya muttered to Shinra as he plopped down at the table in the living room with a sigh. He felt like he’d just been running for two hours straight…

 

Celty disappeared into the kitchen before asking Shizuo if he wanted some food as well, to which the blond declined.

 

“Ah, Celty’s taken a real liking to her actually…” Shinra answered him as he smiled after his beloved.

“Yuki stayed at Kasuka’s during our little rescue mission though,” Shizuo then added as he sat himself across Izaya. “Dokusonmaru has taken a ‘liking’ to her as well…”

Izaya couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that.

“Going for the rich type eh, Yuki?”

Golden eyes glared at him from beneath before they disappeared into the kitchen again.

 

“So, what else did I miss?” He then asked, Shizuo as well as Shinra filling him in on all the important things as well as… _less_ important things.

 

Such as Togusa apparently having really bad flirting skills, or that’s the explanation Kadota had given him for the ‘hot blonde’ not coming with them in the helicopter anyway.

Not too mention…

“Shinra has a picture of you sleeping on my lap. Erika _knows_.”

 

Well shit.

 

“I didn’t give it to her! I swear, Shizuo-kun!”

“But you showed it to her, Didn't you?!”

 

Izaya could only smirk at the squabble going on before him as he was suddenly presented by a bowl of steaming noodles mixed in with all kinds of vegetables.

“Thank you Celty.” He quipped as she just nodded at him, completely ignoring the two idiots as she put on her helmet.

 

[Got to get to a job now.] She announced, turning to Shinra with a hand on her hip. The latter immediately turned her attention to her at the pose, leaving Shizuo grumbling in the background at no-one in particular.

[Shouldn’t you be going too?] She berated her lover somewhat. An apologetic, lovesick grin and a sprint for his tools later, Shinra was suddenly shoving a letter on the table.

“This came for you in the mail by the way.” He said quickly. “Gotta go now though or Shiki-san will have my head!”

 

“Wait a second, you’re just…going to leave us here?” Shizuo then questioned that which Izaya could not, since his mouth was filled with _delicious_ noodles.

“Yeah, sure just don’t forget to lock the door and put the key in the mailbox or something.” Shinra just called out before he disappeared from view.

[Stay out of trouble you two.] Celty just added before closing the front door behind her.

 

And just like that, it was just the two of them.

 

Izaya then fumbled with the letter Shinra had put on the table only moments before, pulling out a plane ticket accompanied with a little note that he immediately cringed at.

 

_Get your scrawny ass over here or I WILL COME OVER THERE AND DRAG IT WITH US._

_Also stop getting stabbed and kidnapped, thank you._

_Love, Kine, Manami & Alexander._

Well, that message was clear…

 

Shizuo’s warm chuckle then reached his ears, to which Izaya just sighed tiredly.

 

“What about you, Shizu-chan, doesn’t Tom require your assistance today?”

The blond merely nodded at him. “I’ll be joining up with him later.”

 

For a moment, they sat together in a comfortable silence as Izaya finished the rest of his meal, feeling quite replenished.

As he stared at Shizuo’s blank face while he read some random medical magazine, the current situation dawned on Izaya again.

The oddness of it all.

 

“Oi..” The blond started again, creased eyebrows not moving from the page in front of him as he leaned sideways in his seat.

“Would you have ever seen this coming?” He continued, mocha sliding towards crimson.

“You know, all of us together, being like this?”

 

Their minds really seemed to fall in line sometimes…

 

Izaya only shook his head as he coated his face with a little smile.

“Not a person in the world, I believe…”

 

Then they were just staring at each other again, Shizuo’s strong gaze pulled in by his own hypnotizing one. He knew the blond was trying to read him, was trying to see past the mirage of the red depths.

For once, Izaya didn’t really mind.

 

“So, you going back to Russia then?” Shizuo questioned after a while, a hint of sadness in his voice.

“I don’t really have a choice it seems.” Izaya answered with a dreadful sigh.

“Though there’s so much I still have to arrange…”

 

Shiki wouldn’t be happy with him just taking a ‘vacation’ so suddenly, certainly not after being absent for a while, even though that wasn’t his fault, really...

And he also still had that dinner with his sisters…

 

He looked up towards unfocused mocha eyes, just staring at a blank spot on the table, frown still marring his face.

Izaya didn’t need to ask what was wrong, since he already knew what was occupying the blond’s thoughts.

 

And again, his mind flashed back to his dream, his vision.

To the wolf that seemed to break through all the spells, chasing the dangers away…

 

Crimson eyes suddenly turned over a shade of mischief, lips curling up in smooth combat.

 

“Say, Shizu-chan.”

 

Curious, those coffee coloured eyes rose up to his own again.

 

“Have you ever been to Russia before?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

//

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_11th of April..._

 

The way to happiness.

The road to your most valuable desires. Your wishes. Your destiny.

What actions must you undertake to reach that prosperity? What path must you choose to walk upon?

It seems that those questions might soon be a thing of the past. Nothing but an unnecessary qualm in our ever so short futures…

…

 

 

“Say, Mizuki…”

 

The Red Demon’s sharp eyes turned sideways at the sound of his name being uttered by his colleague.

 “Hm?” He merely hummed in reply, watched as Shiki’s eyebrow rose up into the air.

 

“What are your thoughts on Tsukumoya’s last entry?” Shiki asked, eyes roaming over a familiar paper.

The question didn’t surprise Akabayashi at all, however.

 

“Who knows…you don’t think it has anything to do with Shijima-kun’s whole ordeal do you, Haruya?” He answered as monotonously as he could muster.

He knew Shiki was still bothered by the whole thing, especially the sudden disappearance of the brat, on _their_ ground even. Akabayashi had to admit, he hadn’t seen that coming either.

 

“Should I?” The other questioned lightly, stern gaze flicked from the paper to Akabayashi’s own amused one.

He could not help but smirk in response before he just shrugged.

 

“For all we know, he’s already sleeping with the fishes…” He added next before he promptly got up, cane poking into the floor as he waltzed towards the door, thinking back to what happened with Nakura.

 

“If that was the case, Orihara would’ve traced his body already… Those _kids_ he’s got squirming in his apartment better step up their game.”

The Red Demon chuckled at the words.

 

“Patience, Haruya…” He mumbled as he threw another smirk back at the annoyed man before taking his leave.

“It’s only been a week, after all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What am I doing with my life?” Masaomi drawled out as he sorted more files into their respective slots.

Mikado merely chuckled while another voice, laced with sarcasm came from the opposite end of the room.

“I’m sure we all asks ourselves that question about you.”

“Shut it, Kuronuma.”

 

Said shark only smirked in response as he continued typing, completely undisturbed.

When he gained access to the computer from Izaya, he should’ve expected to be met with password-security on the files worth reading… such as his own. A note would pop up too, saying something along the lines of ‘So predictable’, a twitch striking him in the forehead.

 

“How’re those files coming along by the way? We need to finish these by tonight or the Awakusu-kai will come complaining again.” Aoba then sighed, annoyed at the pile of cases that was still to be addressed.

He knew Orihara Izaya worked _a lot_ but still… he was just one guy. They were _three_.

It was insane.

 

“Akabayashi-san only complains about you, Kuronuma…” Masaomi mumbled under his breath as he handed the files to Mikado.

Ah yes, though he was sure that Mikado and Anri’s ‘evil uncle’ wasn’t here only to check on his…affiliations…

Akabayashi was just as much of a ‘buddy’ to Izaya now as well, after all.

 

“It’s bad enough I have that guy breathing down my neck all the time and still, you feel the need to grace me with your presence, Kida-kun.” Aoba offered back, red eyes falling into a staring contest with glaring hazel.

“Guys, let’s take it easy alright?” Mikado’s kind voice broke apart the tension, that ever so innocent smile plastered on his face again.

 

“It’s not like Anri asked me to keep an eye on you in particular you know.” Masaomi explained to Aoba after a moment of silence.

“She still doesn’t trust Izaya for shit and frankly, neither do I.”

Mikado just gave an awkward chuckle as Aoba stared dead-panned at the blond.

“He’s not even here… Which is the entire point of _us_ being here.” The shark replied, annoyed. “I really don’t understand why he even agreed to let you in, honestly.”

 

He turned back to his screen, annoyed frown marring his face as he remembered he also still had some tasks for school to finish up…

 

“Same here.” Masaomi pawed back before he returned to sorting the files a bit more forcefully then before.

 

Mikado just sighed at the immature display before he turned his gaze towards the glass wall and curiously stared into the bustling city from high above.

 

“Well, it’s never really clear what Orihara-san’s got planned, now is it?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kadota looked up at the blossoming sakura trees next to their old school, thinking that spring had come rather early this year…

And apparently, so did ice cream… but he could imagine the Orihara twins enjoying black sesame scones in any season, honestly.

 

“I _still_ think it’s a bit cold for that…” He noted anyway.

“You’re just getting old, Dota-chin.” Erika winked at him in mischief, Mairu, Kururi and even Walker nodding along in agreement.

‘…’

 

“So, school’s started for you guys right? How’s it been?” Togusa asked them as he leaned back against his van, hands in his pockets.

“You guys aren’t loners like your brother used to be right?” Kadota added in jokingly before they could answer, gaining him two pairs of questioning gazes.

 

“Iza-ni?” Kururi mumbled while Mairu chuckled as she hugged her sister tightly.

“That’s typical of him… but fortunately we can never be alone, now can we?”

Kadota had to smile at that.

 

“How is your Iza-Iza anyway?” Erika then asked curiously.

Kadota did note that they hadn’t seen the informant in a while… and now that he thought about, neither had he seen…

Oh god.

 

“You guys don’t know? He’s visiting his friends in Russia with Shizuo-san!” Mairu chirped happily.

Kadota, Walker and Togusa immediately shared a panicked glance at the words before the inevitable occurred.

 

“IZA-IZA ON A TRIP WITH SHIZU-CHAN!?”

“Detain her, quickly!” Togusa yelled in quick succession as people all around them started turning heads at Erika’s sudden outburst.

“I KNEW IT, MY SHIP IS REAL, MWHAHAHAHA -umph.”

 

“Thanks for the chat, guys, see you later!” Togusa yelled happily to the Orihara twins as he and Kadota put an ecstatic Erika in the backseat of the van, quickly slamming the door behind them before they got in themselves and promptly drove away, Walker waving off the two young sisters with a smile.

The twins merely returned the gesture until they were out of sight.

 

Kadota tried to relax in his seat as Erika just kept on rambling about the ‘life-changing’ revelation, positively driving Togusa crazy.

 

Kadota himself, however, couldn’t help but put on a little smile of his own.

He just hoped that wherever Shizuo and Izaya ended up together, they wouldn’t stir up too much trouble…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The neigh of a horse blazed through the streets like a siren’s call.

Much like Shooter, Celty loved spring. It was the moment of rebirth, the sun returning life to everything and all creatures, painting smiles upon their faces.

 

So perhaps to Shinra, _she_ was the sun.

Since the idiot just had that goofy smile plastered all over his face ever since she’d met him.

 

“Ah, it’s been so long since we’ve journeyed like this…” The makeshift doctor noted as they sped down the streets, lab-coated arms never releasing the strong embrace around her waist.

It was true since they usually travelled in the shadow-carriage with Shooter pulling them onwards. She still had a little job to finish up first before they went on their mountain trip, however, and Shooter _was_ the fastest in his motorcycle 'state'.

She just hoped they wouldn’t stumble across Kuzuhara Kinnosuke again…

Thinking about it already made her shudder from head to toe.

 

“Celty? Something wrong?” Shinra’s voice reached her almost immediately, the worry carrying with the wind.

She merely shook her head before taking another harsh turn to the right, Shooter neighing as Shinra give a little yelp, arms tightening around her even more.

 

Two more blocks and she would be at the package’s destination.

 

“Say, Celty, don’t you ever wonder what’s inside of the packages you deliver?” came another of Shinra's curious questions.

 

She had to admit, sometimes, she was _very_ curious though she always kept up her professionalism, never once opening one.

This time was no difference when it came to her inquisitiveness being sparked.

 

She figured the small package must be pretty important since Izaya wanted it delivered so urgently, and at a good price too, which of course, never hurt in her finances…

 

“Typical of Orihara-kun, though. Doing business even during his own holiday.” Shinra jittered again and Celty couldn’t help but agree.

It was no secret how much of a workaholic Izaya was, or had been at least, though she wasn’t sure if humans could ever stop with such tendencies…

 

“Ah, looks like we’re here.”

 

A sudden unsettling feeling creeped up her insides as she finally pulled over at their destination. Shooter promptly released a distressed blaze of air through the exhausts.

 

The package cracked underneath the shadow’s strain and Shinra couldn’t help but suppress a mischievous chuckle, clamping his hand over his mouth to deafen the sound.

For a very still moment, they both stared at the word depicted so greatly above the entrance of the building.

 

G O L D S M I T H

 

‘Professionalism be damned!’ Celty’s mind exclaimed heatedly before she opened the small package in less than a second, nothing but a note inside.

_Enjoy your trip lovebirds!_

_Love, Izaya_

 

The explosion of shadows that occurred was to be predicted, so Shinra and Shooter were both rather unimpressed by the amount of frustration leaking from them.

Of course, all the other people and traffic in their proximity had no idea what was happening as the dark began to spread, hence the sudden intake of panic…

And of course, the arrival of Celty’s most favourite police officer.

 

As they fled the scene faster than the sun could follow, Shinra could not help but grin.

 

“Well, Izaya is still Izaya, I suppose.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shizuo woke from his daytime slumber by the sound of a chuckle to his right.

Its slight vibrations were felt through the weight laying against his shoulder as early spring radiated down on them, bringing the portrait in front of him back to life.

The half-snicker soon escalated into full laughter, which sounded rather mischievous yet sincere.

 

“Oi, ‘Zaya what’s so funny…” Shizuo mumbled drowsily as he turned his head to the side of the culprit.

 

[JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU GET BACK U LITTLE-] He read something along those lines on the other’s screen before Izaya positively doubled over in his laughter, taking a considerable amount of warmth with him as he detached himself from Shizuo’s side.

Shizuo just leaned forwards with him to see the rest of the text with a raised eyebrow.

[I WILL TAKE AN ENTIRE BAG OF SUGAR AND STICK IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!]

 

His brows creased in confusion as the raven just kept grinning beside him.

“What did you do this time?” He asked with a disapproving groan as he stretched for a minute, though he just let himself fall backwards against the tree trunk again before taking out another cigarette.

Izaya’s laughter seemed to die out after a short while as he turned towards Shizuo with a smile, crimson glowing with that wisp of playfulness.

“Hmmm, just a little prank.”

‘Oh I’m sure it is.’ Shizuo thought sarcastically as a whiff smoke escaped from between dry lips.

 

The other promptly got up, not patient enough to wait for a verbal response that Shizuo wasn’t going to give anyway.

He watched as Izaya pulled out a flick-blade again, throwing it at one of the cans standing on the far-off fence with exceptional precision.

 

“Show-off.” Shizuo muttered, smile crooked as a blue swallowtail landed on his nose for moment, nearly making him sneeze.

Of course, that only amused the Flea some more.

 

“You know, it’s funny.” Izaya began as he picked up another blade from the pouch next to him.

“I spent so much time here… practising _this_.”

 

Shizuo watched the next can hit the grass with a soft thud.

 

“And just, trying to forget all of… _this_.” Izaya then motioned to him, drawing an invisible circle around Shizuo’s form with his two ring-clad fingers.

 

Despite that probably being true, the Flea offered it more like a tease than anything else…

 

“Now look at us…” Izaya finished with a sigh, eyes flicking to the side though his lips just curled up in the smirk Shizuo could read all too well.

He chuckled, drawing those crimson pools back to him.

 

“Yeah, look at us.”

 

And so they did.

Another moment stuck in each other’s gazes.

Another lapse of time, claimed by the clarity in crimson eyes and the ruffle of the fur in the wind.

 

How many times it had happened until now, Shizuo did not know.

All he did know was that he couldn’t get enough of it…

 

“Hey losers!” Manami’s sharp voice suddenly shook the earth from behind Shizuo’s back, the startle shaking his entire frame.

“Dinner’s ready, so better come get some while it's still hot!”

Izaya wasn’t intimidated in the least, however.

“And you better not be throwing those at my cows!”

As if on cue, one of the large bovines let out a low bellow before the girl disappeared from the window again, back into the farmhouse.

 

“Pfft, like I’ve ever partaken in animal cruelty…” Izaya mumbled with a false frown as he went to fetch the blades he’d thrown.

“Unless I count Shizu-chan into the equation of course…”

 

The dead-panned stare only made the other’s lips ride up higher, but the blond expected nothing less…

He stretched his muscles one more time, before finally rising up from the cool grass.

 

In a flash, Izaya was suddenly in his face, curled-up velvet lips hovering dangerously close to his own, successfully freezing Shizuo on the spot with wide eyes.

“You’ve got something on your face, Shizu-chan!” The Flea merely jittered, plucking a petal from Shizuo’s cheek he never even noticed as the blond’s gaze kept flickering between those taunting eyes and smirking lips.

 

Of course, Izaya pulled away just as quickly again, his playful grin making it impossible for Shizuo to feel more than just mild annoyance at the typical tease.

 

And as he just stared after the other again, black hair waving and lips jittering at the cow almost stuffing its nose down the pouch, Shizuo tried to make sense of their situation for yet another time.

 

Not that he ever really could.

 

But he did know some things…

 

 

He knew that, throughout all distance and time,

they would always be pushing and pulling at each other.

Would always be connected, would always be intertwined.

And even if their orbit would spin out of control, even if they would cut dangerously close into each other’s wounds again…

 

They could always just…begin again.

 

 

So the wolf smiled as he watched the raven flutter around and thought to himself...

 

This must be what peace feels like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I wrap this up, allow me to express some thoughts regarding this work:
> 
> The main theme of the story, as most of you know, is change. Whether Izaya really can change to this proportion (or how should I say it…), is a big question mark. Some might think that Izaya is a bit OOC in this story, and that’s totally fine because it’s not incorrect, in fact, in the story itself, Zeruan struggles with Izaya’s identity. It struggles with who Izaya really is which is why the ‘dream’ is so chaotic.  
> In any case, I just wanted to try a story where Izaya was able to change his ways in a believable fashion, so I hope that I more or less accomplished that. 
> 
> Whenever characters are referred to as ‘The raven’ or ‘The snake’, etc. I do, actually want you to imagine the animal in those moments, they’re not nicknames in this story. To make it more clear:  
> \- The raven stands for being cunning, intelligent, talk-active and in some cultures even has a reputation of being a ‘bringer of doom’, which suits Izaya since every time he was involved in something suspicious in Ikebukuro, things tended to escalate into some form of chaos. Also, Vorona (or ‘Crow in Russian’) and Izaya share some similarities and people tend to mix up crows and ravens all the time.  
> \- The wolf stands for being Loyal, protecting but also, belonging to a group. Wolves can be lone too, however and this suits Shizuo somewhat. But even though Shizuo ‘tries’ to be alone, people flock to him anyway, because in truth, it’s his friends that keep him strong (And a wolf is only as strong as its pack.). In Zeruan’s ‘dream’, the wolves’ fur changed colours in between scenes, in nature this is due to the change of seasons, here it depicts the adaptation of Shizuo to Izaya as he changes.  
> \- The snake stands for transformation, keeping secrets, patience and a great many other things. In the bible, the snake is depicted as a liar and being a crafty little shit. This applies to Djinn rather well.  
> -…
> 
>  
> 
> All of you who took the time to read this, to give a kudo or leave a comment, know that I really, really appreciated it from the bottom of my heart.  
> This story took a lot of work and time and it’s nice to get something back for that, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t fun as well :)
> 
> Also, many thanks to my beta reader for putting up with my writing all this time!
> 
> Thanks for all the love!  
> Until next time.


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